Extract from IndieLondon
NATASCHA Sohl admits to feeling a little anti-love when it came to penning her sophomore album, Dirty Little Word, but as is so often the case with LPs spawned by heartbreak, it serves to create a heady cocktail of radio friendly rock-pop hits.
Sohl has progressed nicely since her debut LP Strange Fascination to create a fuller, maturer sound that has easily been embraced by fans on both sides of the Atlantic.
She still possesses Alanis Morissette style tendencies, as well as a little Avril Lavigne, but is a London lass at heart who looks set to benefit from the crossover sound that working with Russ DeSalvo in New York has afforded her music.
It’s hardly surprising, therefore, that her sound has been picked up by US TV networks for use on shows such as MTV’s The Hills – it has that soundtrack vibe that sits well alongside the moving image.
The songs fly thick and fast too… all highly polished, perfectly listenable and occasionally belting.
Sohl is maturing nicely and seems well equipped for career longevity. She also boasts a sound that’s equally at ease on both sides of the Atlantic.
Dirty Little Word is a coming-of-age LP that’s smart, heartbroken and catchy.
Review from thedigitalfix.co.uk
Born in tres chic Paris and raised in the grimy old UK Natasch Sohl betrays none of these roots on Dirty Little Word, an album which oozes Hollywood glamour and excess from every pore. Opening with ‘Naked’, a monster of a tune which half inches the chorus from Lady GaGa’s ‘Poker Face’ and splices it with Natalie Imbruglia’ sultry vocal style, is a statement of intent. This is an album which catches you unawares and stares you down into quivering submission with an unflinching gaze of unwavering confidence. ‘Dirty Little Word’ is the epitome of anthemic power pop upon which America constructed MTv before hard rock hairspray become a balck market commodity. ‘Nothin Else Matters’, sadly not a Metallica cover, pushes the hubba bubba pop bubble further with a riff laden track which draws heavily and appropriately upon ‘Kids in America’. Ms Sohl is the perfect antidote to the prissy, pious, posing of Paramore and deserves to dominate the airwaves in 2010.
Review from Ira Miller
(Emerge Music Group ,USA)
Natascha is a powerhouse to be reckoned with! Her songs are high energy, edgy, personal, and incredible. She combines the best of what Alanis Morissette, Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne have been doing. But in my opinion she does it better! Some of her songs have already been featured on MTV's The Hills and Legally Blonde: The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods!
Be sure to check out the following songs:
"Dirty Little Word" will stick in your head for days and you'll be singing one of the most memorable choruses I've ever heard!
"I'm So Happy" is a well written post breakup song that really captures a lot of relationship truths.
"Body Beautiful" is a great song about not getting caught up in looks but to make sure you take the same time to make yourself beautiful inside as well.
Each song on her album "Dirty Little Word" stands out in its own way and I strongly encourage you to check it out and download the whole album ($8.99 on Amazon.com's MP3 store or $9.99 on Itunes).
Natascha is one of my favorite new artists and I really hope you'll give her a listen! And since I know she's in the group and is hopefully reading this - come tour in the States!!! Please!! :O)
Extract from Review by Ravenheart Music – London
NATASCHA SOHL..'DIRTY LITTLE WORD'
(Granite Music)
............ I have Natascha's debut album in my collection, 'Strange Fascination', that I purchased a while back now for a silly cheap price on Amazon. 'Strange Fascination' alerted me to the fact that we have a talent here in the UK that should not go un-noticed. Fast forward to 2010, and 'Dirty Little Word' continues the good work, offering the listener a mix of gut-wrenching ballads and full-on stadium anthems, and it is damn good. Check out the title track as one cool rockin' track, and 'Beauty In Silence' that is so so catchy! Other goodies amongst a host of goodies include the rocking 'I'm Not Listening' & 'Yesterday's Rain' and the ballad 'Fade'. This is one for fans of pop/rock who are into Alanis, Kelly Clarkson, Avril and the like. Natascha is a real pro, an awesome lass and this album is well worth checking out.
Dave Smith
Strange Facination Review
by Jim Hall and Russ Elliot from Musical Discoveries
Singer-songwriter Natascha Sohl was born outside of Paris and moved to the U.K at just nine months of age. She progressed through the first year of Brunel University studying Film and T.V before the need to take hold of a love of music, and the performance of it saw her crucially leave Brunel and enroll instead at The Academy Of Contemporary Music in Guildford, gaining a higher diploma in vocals. Fast forward through the initial time spent in her first band, before deciding to go it alone and being consumed in writing, recording and performing solidly, to 2004. The year that saw the release of Natascha's debut release, Strange Fascination (Granite Music (UK), 5 036098 003888, 2003). With this, we are treated to a first glance into the lyrical ideas and song-writing along with vocal abilities of Natascha, as she presents a collection of vibrant pop-rock songs fresh with the feel of an individual desperate to show everyone just what she can do.
Collaborating with a number of experienced musicians for this album, the twelve tracks on offer are played out with an assured confidence as the standard drums, guitar, bass instruments provide a solid backing to Natascha's edgy, strong vocals. Lyrically, we find Natascha covering themes ranging from love, to loss, to ambition, dreams and beyond and these lyrics certainly stand out and clearly mean a lot to this singer as she belts out each word with a real passion.
"Are You Ready?" serves as a catchy, head-nodding opener. Simplistic drum and guitar work creates an almost jazzy edge, enhanced by Natascha's enticing, alluring vocal melodies, as her voice bounces atop the instrumentation, slowing to a smoother tone set against gentle piano as she asks: "Are you ready for me? Let me show you how good I can be for you." A well chosen first single, giving you a feel for the flavour of the whole album. "Give It All Away"--clearly an album standout--presents a chunky bass line and cymbal-heavy drum work in a song that sees Natascha's vocals at their most edgy and fierce, the memorable chorus pulling together an anthemic pop number that will surely have crowds fists raised high in a live environment.
Gritty beats appear for "My Needs", chugging their way underneath piano and the alluring voice of Natascha, who strains to sing of a longing for her needs to be understood. "Missing you, missing you sometimes" she croons with a pained fragility in a touching bridge. The album progresses in a similar fashion of short, sharp bursts of pop-rock that are helped by a rich, warm production. "Another Day" features fast-paced vocals building to a distorted chorus of guitar and Natascha's hovering, aggressive vocal cries whilst "I Didn't Know" slows things down with soft drum work and clean guitar jangles, an explosive, melody-filled chorus breaking through this energetic number. Closing song "Wishful Thinking" opens with Natascha's vocals sounding distanced against drums that settle into a rapid groove, lyrically focusing on the desperate dreams of those wanting to make it big: "Do you know what you're wishing for?" A song simplistic in structure, and an ideal conclusion to the album.
Strange Fascination is an album filled with promise. Vocally, Natascha's voice is already swimming with confidence, drive and ambition as she sings of topics relevant to her own life, and certainly to the life of others who can no doubt relate. The production is impressive, and helps to breathe life to each song. The song-structures are largely of the tried and tested formula, and there is a risk of the formulaic nature creeping into the album that is it's main weakness. It's up to Natascha to stay focused and as driven as she seems to be with this debut release, and take a solid, enjoyable collection of pop-rock anthems to that next level, her follow-up release. An engaging first insight into a lady from which you sense there is much more to come.
Album review from - V Magazine
Natascha Sohl - "Strange Fascination" (Granite Music)
Natascha is different from the other singers here: she rocks! The 13 tracks on this self-penned album are all catchy and passionate, and are sure to produce more than a few lit cigarette lighters when she performs live. While many female solo singers try to ape Britney,
Natascha sticks to straightahead rock, complete with crunchy guitars, soaring choruses and massive drums. The stripped down production allows each song and her voice to breathe. Strange Fascination has a similar feel to Texas's 1989 debut, Southside. While Natascha does not have the vocal dexterity of Sharleen Spiteri, she can produce foot-stompin' janglers, like Giving It All Away and the funky, bluesy What You Want. Natascha covers her bases here, and does it very well
Album review by Elly Roberts
www.dvdfever.co.uk and www.allgigs.co.uk
‘Strange Fascination’
Loaded albums don’t come much more loaded.
This smoking gun of a CD will no doubt impress industry people. Funny it hasn’t been picked up by the punters and made some serious progress. Firing on all cylinders, the glamorous named pussycat shows not only strength in depth but diversity.
There’s so much on offer here it’s mindblowing, with crossover appeal to the teeny brigade to mamas and papas – but it’s serious music - so don’t be fooled.
Packing a real punch, (mustn’t forget the delicate stuff either) Sohl is destined to be the next rock-chic, if she gets the lucky breaks. Her ‘strange fascination’ of fusing contemporary R&B with jazzy melodic rock-riffs (look out for stellar wailing guitar solos) and catchy hooks, it brings music well into the 21 century.
She’s got a distinctive ‘ girl band voice’ a la Girls Aloud, but that’s where comparisons end. Try a few listens and you’ll be suitably impressed – hold on it’s a hot ride and very cool. Possible? Yes.
You probably won’t hear an album quite like it all year. The lady’s been piling on the credibility for almost five years-her time has finally come - I hope.
Standout tracks: Are You Ready, Fine With Me, Forgive Me, Remember Me.
Review by Rhyl, Prestatyn and Abergele Journal
Britain has come up with a credible alternative to Avril Lavigne in the form of Natascha Sohl. Her Strange Fascination album is a brash and confident pop/rock crossover collection that is stuffed to the gills with potential hit singles and we've got a feeling that we're going to hear a lot of this young lady in the coming months
Review from Spaghetti Junction Issue 2
Natascha Sohl - "Strange Fascination"
New singer-songwriter Natascha Sohl oozes talent. Described as ‘Lenny Kravits meets Alanis Morissette’ the young Londoner released her debut album ‘Strange Fascination’ in November.
Boasting 13 self-penned tracks, ‘Strange Fascination’ contains all the elements needed for a successful melodic rock album. Upbeat, catchy and passionate, with the odd ballad thrown in for good measure, it manages to escape the ‘rock chick’ album stereotype.
From the upbeat ‘Make Your Own Way’ to the slower ‘Forgive Me’, Natascha Sohl is both creative and inventive whilst avoiding that ‘samey’ feel.
With 5 years of solo performance under her belt and 3 years of fronting her own rock band, ‘Little Entity’, Natascha Sohl is on the road to success
Review by Marcus Dunk
In Weekend Music section, Daily Express
Natascha Sohl - "Strange Fascination" (Granite)
A very decent debut from a British rocker whom some are already comparing with Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette. I’m not quite sure that comparing her with either of those two banshees is much of a compliment, but on this collection you can hear what they’re getting at. There are some very good pop songs here, full of sass, and, er, sohl.
Review by David Randall
www.getreadytorock.com
Natascha Sohl - "Strange Fascination" - (Granite Music 2004)
Natascha Sohl joins the growing legion of female singer-songwriters, it's a fairly crowded genre but soon she will be snapping at the heels of Alanis, Avril...and all the rest.
'Strange Fascination' is a superb debut with a confidence that would shame many an old-stager. It seems that Tash has been steadily building a following through live gigs and commanding the respect of both fans and fellow musos alike.
It would be invidious to single out particular tracks, because the whole album is consistently good. It's upbeat, catchy, angsty, and has the mandatory jangling guitars. If you like female singer-songwriter rock you will not fail to enjoy this.
Oh alright, then, opening track and first single 'Are You Ready?' sets the standard but 'Make Your Own Way', and 'Give It All Away' could both be hit singles. The latter in particular is a well-nigh perfect slice of pop rock that will have 'em air fisting in the auditorium. Great production, too, from Ben Jones.
'Remember Me' is characterised by its urgency, smouldering guitars and stark affirmation: 'Loving you, was it all a big mistake?". 'Walking Thru Space' with its dub backbeat, vocal effects and widescreen orchestration, is splendid.
Natascha Sohl has been described as "Lenny Kravitz meets Alanis Morrisette' but that's a bit throwaway because she's got her own groove and arguably more talent. Catch young Sohl now, because the stadiums beckon. You can smugly say to your mates in a few years time, as they download yet another i-Tune, 'I told you so'.
Review by Charles Donovan
Arts Editor of Woman & Home magazine, and a contributor to What’s On In London, The London Telegraph, The London Evening Standard, allmusic.com, and rollingstone.com
Natascha Sohl - "Strange Fascination"
Do TV talent shows leave you cold? Do you ever wonder what happened to the people who just wanted to make music, and whose first concerns weren’t your applause and your worship? The ones who didn’t want just to thrust their bodies at you in lieu of a real gift, but who desired only to move you, shake you, lift you, and maybe chew you to pieces. To make you laugh, to share a feeling, and to tell you that, even in your most shamed and screwed-up moments, someone had been there before, and come back alive. There is a songwriter who, through her music, does all this every time you listen to her.
Natascha Sohl’s debut album, Strange Fascination, is a remarkably palatable and cohesive work. It’s prompted innumerable comparisons to Avril Lavigne and Nelly Furtado. And, on the surface, there are similarities; they are all purveyors of a spirited, spunky rock. But where those two artists build up their work with layer upon layer of artifice, Sohl takes the opposite approach, stripping away all that is false, chipping away at artifice and affectation to reveal truth.
The late, legendary producer Nik Venet, who discovered the Beach Boys and mentored many great pop composers, always stressed the importance of truth in songwriting. This is a concept that Sohl has adeptly grasped. Her soulful, despondent ballads, such as Forgive Me, reveal a writer who realises that you express more by what you leave out, than by what you put in. Genuinely affecting ballads require a notoriously difficult balancing act – if the writer teeters too much to one side, their work is grossly saccharine. But if they wobble to the other, their songs can be limp and unmoving. Using language and music with restraint and a grownup sense of economy, Sohl performs one sleight of hand after another, lifting herself clean above the competition.
Cuts like lead-off single Are You Ready and Give It All Away peel back the outer layers of romantic affliction, to reveal beautiful and ugly realities, like spite, ardour, lust, jealousy and regret. Sohl makes no attempt to patronise her audience by drawing a veil over the darker side of love – and this upfront, b-s-free attitude makes Strange Fascination an absorbing journey of feelings. Sohl’s deceptively sweet voice crawls into the listener’s ears, and catches them unawares. Just as you think you’re going to be lulled and soothed, she outmanoeuvres you with a sudden display of petulance, anguish and bewildered rage. But the wounds she inflicts are then deftly healed through the underlying balm of her artistry. Her album is nothing short of aural seduction.
Amongst the other highlights are Make Your Own Way, with a verse that bristles with all the strutting elegance of the Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s finest work (a comparison that does far more justice to Sohl’s skills than the endless Lavigne references), and the disarmingly candid My Needs. Musically, Sohl has a good grip on the art of the one-hit hook – the twist in a melody line that leaves an audience demanding to hear it again. And again. Strange Fascination’s title track represents the very pinnacle of her gifts. Smart, open, foxy, straight-up and real.
Where other artists present us with mere clay, Natascha Sohl delivers the finished sculpture. Her songs have a longevity beyond mere ‘hit’ songs, because truth has a longer shelf life than fashion.
Review by www.yo-zone.co.uk
"STRANGE FASCINATION" - Natascha Sohl, Granite
Say hello to Natascha Sohl, a deeply talented singer and songwriter, destined for greatness. Natascha’s album Strange Fascination is the catchiest, coolest thing we’ve heard all year, and we Yo’Zoners can’t stop playing it.
Natascha has a winning way with a melody, and you could well find yourself humming any one of her 13 rock-pop gems before you even realise you’re doing it. Our favourite is the fierce and lovely Give It All Away. This album is delicious.
