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Penelope Queen \ I'd Rather Be Naked [TWI 1152 CD]

I'd Rather Be Naked is the debut album by Penelope Queen, a young French singer-songwriter, produced by pop polymath Isabelle Antena.

Written and recorded between 2010 and 2013, the album features 13 original songs by Penelope, together with a cover of Silly Things, a heartbreaking ballad originally recorded by Antena on Camino del Sol, their Crépuscule debut back in 1983. Also written in the south of France, Penelope's own new album captures many of the same moods - sometimes insouciant, sometimes bittersweet.

Tracklist:

1. Drawn
2. L.O.L
3. Just Lay
4. Little One
5. Speechless
6. Who's My Daddy
7. Silly Things
8. My Garden
9. Says the Rain
10. Heart Beat
11. That Thing, That Voice
12. Girls Don't Cry
13. Ms. Nobody
14. When Spring Arrives

Available on CD + digital (MP3). To order please select correct shipping option (UK, Europe or Rest of World) and click on Add To Cart button below the cover image.

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Reviews:

"From opening track Drawn onwards, the order of the day here is simplicity. Voice, acoustic guitar, minimal strings, romantic and relationship-influence lyrics make most of this album a pleasing and very human assemblage. Livelier highlights include the opener Drawn plus Girls Don't Cry, Hey Little One and Ms Nobody, all of which demonstrate Queen's knack for a pop song. Penelope's real forte, however, is with the more forlorn or reflective side of her nature - Just Lay, When Spring Arrives and the super Heartbeat all recall her mother's occasionally plaintive oeuvre, strengthened by the fact she's had time to ably cover an Antena classic in the process - Silly Things from the Camino del Sol era" (Flipside, 05/2013)

"The opener Drawn signposts the direction: energetic yet relaxed handclap rhythm, racy accoustic guitar and a softly swinging voice. Almost every piece breathes in the refreshing atmosphere of an evening sea breeze after a long Sunday. Even on mum's Silly Things (from Antena's 1983 mini album) Penelope succeeds in updating: cool new wave Brasil becomes a cello-lascivious jazz ballad" (Westzeit, 09/2013)

"Intimate, nonchalant, elegant acoustics produced by Isabelle Antena in the style of Camino del Sol" (Blow Up, 09/2013)

Penelope Queen - I'd Rather Be Naked [TWI 1152 CD]
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"Through my writing," says Penelope, "I try to tell about my life - as a young woman, a mother, a lover and a friend, hoping that other people feel good and happy listening to my songs. I chose to realize this first album quite simply, at home, recording with my mother, Isabelle Antena. We used only real instruments to make the sound as natural as possible. We also deliberately kept the sounds of guitar strings, breaths and floaty in-between beats in several songs (like Says the Rain), to convey a feeling of intimacy and nakedness."

"At my first concert I was so terrified, I didn't want to go on stage. My mother told me, 'If you imagine the people in the audience naked it'll help you relax.' To which I replied, 'I'd rather be naked in front of them than sing in front of them. It would be less terrifying!' And that's how the album title was found."

Penelope Queen