CD OF THE WEEK (August 1999) :

MARJAN DEBAENE "HUMANOID"
(MAP Records, Distr. VIA, MAP99003)

Songs (click on the -icons for audio) 1. Your Game 2. Call On Me 3. Snow Comes Down 4. Live To Tell (Madonna, P. Leonard) 5. My House 6. Winter 7. Buried at Sea 8. Cut me Loose 9. Something is Changing 10. Guardian Angel 11. Water 12. I Don't Understand You Anymore Lyrics & Music : Marjan Debaene Produced by David Poltrock Musicians : - Marjan Debaene : lead & backing vocals, guitars - Alexander Brackx : guitars - David Poltrock : Keyboards, Piano, Accordion - Dirk Loots : Drums, Loops, Percussion - Pieter van Buyten : Bass Guests : - Lieven Degreef : Backin vocals - Stijn Devriendt : drums & percussion - Rob Deckx : guitar solos - Ward Neirynck : guitar Recorded at MM Studio (Geraardsbergen), July '98 and February '99 Photo's & Design : Jo Clauwaert for Creation & Devotion

My opinion

"Humanoid" is the second CD of Marjan Debaene, and I hadn't even noticed the first one ("Growing Pains" from 1996). This release also did its best to pass by almost unnoticed among the big releases that were done in and around April. Only in the region of Dranouter - West-Vlamingen among themselves - do they seem to have a big esteem for this talented girl from Ieper and offer her a yearly place at the Folk-festival there. What follows could be an attempt at rectification :

Roughly speaking, the songs on "Humanoid" can be divided in two kinds : those who start of intimistic and slow and finish up larger and blooming, and on the other hand those songs that kick off in a higher gear and don't come back afterwards. This line "hard/soft" is - for me - also the line between the weaker and the stronger songs on the album.
Examples of the quiet kind are "Buried at Sea" and "Winter" (although it is rather strange to hear her moaning about "January can be cold, when you've no-one to hold" during a genuine Belgian heatwave). "Something's changing" and the closing track "I don't understand you anymore" stay cosy campfire songs all to their ends.
A chapter on its own is "Live To Tell", a cover of an old Madonna-hit. This ballad also gets an intimate treatment with shuffling drums and Marjan & her musicians playing seemingly around another of those campfires. The reason this song is also the climax of this album is that this song is rock-solid.
From the songs that have chosen a more rocking existence only "Water" knew how to convince me, the other ones a rather measly middle-of-the-road rock without punch. This is probably due to the fact that Marjan's voice gets done more justice in the quieter parts. At full volume her voice turns a bit sour, reminding me of Susannah Hoffs. In the slow and quiet parts her voice is polyvalent but always warm tool that melts the hearts of her listeners.
So, if she promises to keep it quiet, she can drop by anytime.

And your opinion?
Did I get it all wrong, or was I spot-on ? Do you want to share your opinion about this cd ? Send it in, and I'll put it up here !

This album in the press:

- Weekend Knack 17/4 : "Marjan Debaene, another very very young talent, is complementary to Neeka. The vocals of Debaene are more soulful and clearer, but her lyrics are a bit less well-thought than those of her colleague. ... Musically speaking she has grown poppier and more self-confident. This young lady also has a bright future".

Did you see a good (or bad) review of this album ? Tell me about it !

More about this artist :

- The homepage of Marjan and MAP-Records can be found at the Folkfestival of Dranouter.
- Management : M. de Swarte (tel : +32(0)57.33.70.33)
- Bookings : KRAS ARTIST, Leernsesteenweg 168, 9800 Deinze, België. Tel +32(0)9/2829762 Fax +32(0)9/2829850. e-mail: martine.vanautrijve@skynet.be

Where to buy this CD ?

You can order this CD from a number of locations (prices researched on July 31st, 1999, but nothing guarantees they still are the same when you read this).

Shop	Price of the CD	Shipping + other expenses	Total	Direct Link
Frontstage	730	50	780 BEF	Frontstage
Azur	727	0	727 BEF
HVH-Megastore	---	54	---
Proxis	638	95	733 BEF	Proxis

The lowest price is in yellow, the highest in red. This price comparison doesn't take things into account like deduction of shipping expenses when ordering more than 1 cd, bonus points, differences in guarantees ... Shipping prices are those for customers in Belgium.

Have you seen this record elsewhere on the net, do you own an online-CD-shop with Belgian products in it, or if there's something wrong with my calculations : let me know.

Do you want to announce your record here? It's easy (and free) ! Click here for the conditions.