Still I Can't Be Still

With the success of the Broadway musical Rent and her portrayal of ‘Maureen,’ a musical career for Idina Menzel was inevitable.

When I first listened to this album, I thought it was very cool. The sounds of the album were alive, full of rhythmic bass riffs and catchy percussion beats; all surrounded by a passionate woman’s voice.

The more I listened, the more the album grew on me. Any woman can certainly relate to the lyrics. If she can’t, she certainly can examine her life in regards to the issues that Menzel writes. Menzel addresses such issues in her songs, such as “Larissa’s Lagoon,” which discusses sexual abuse and other inner demons and how Larissa seeks comfort in her “singing hallelujah” or in the song “All of the Above,” which talks about sexual experimentation with a lover. Menzel also brings light to the struggles that women have to go through and how they deal with them, as suggested in “Planet Z.”

As I am listening to the album now, I think ‘what makes this album different from what else is out there?’ To be honest, I do not know. Menzel’s style and voice is similar to that of Taylor Dayne; however, Menzel does a lot more interesting things with her voice, such as changing from alto to soprano and also appearing to be reading her lyrics (in “Think Too Much”) in a musical manner, rather than straight out singing. The issues have all been sung before from other women, such as by Madonna and Tori Amos, but this is not a bad thing to be like them. In fact, the world needs more influential singers so that women can gain their strength and more knowledge and comfort with their sexuality. Menzel’s music and lyrics is very successful at getting this point across to her audience.