Dangerous and Moving

t.A.T.u.'s debut U.S. album blew me away from the first time I heard it, and continued to be an emotional high for many listens. It was musical perfection, one of those albums so good that you know the group cannot make another album that good.

And such is the case here, where this follow-up album does not have the emotional impact that 200 Km/h In The Wrong Lane has. Still, considering that I expected they probably couldn't duplicate that perfection, I'm not very disappointed. I still like this album very much, and it was one of my favorites of 2005, although not in my top 3 like their previous album was.

After a brief introduction of the title track (a teaser since the full song doesn't come until last), the album begins with "Not Gonna Get Us" part 2, titled here "All About Us," and as with many sequels, it lacks the power of the first one, particularly lyrically. Fortunately, they didn't continue this path with the rest of the album, doing Part Deux of everything on their first album.

This CD is darker than their first, slower, and less deeply emotional, yet they still provide more emotional intensity than most pop bands. "Cosmos (Outer Space)" utilizes ethereal vocal lines on the chorus. I especially like the catchy refrains in "Friend Or Foe" and "Loves Me Not." I like the main lyrical line in track 7: "I only want what I can't have; I only need what I don't want." What a poignant statement on the human condition. The gentle tune "Gomenasai" (which should be spelled "Gomen nasai") is a tip of the hat to their big Japanese following. The song is in English except for the refrain's repeated line, "Gomen nasai," which is "I'm sorry" in Japanese.

The album begins to drag with the slower songs "We Shout" and "Perfect Enemy." They're not bad songs, but on t.A.T.u.'s first album, there were no dragging points at all.

Things pick up again with what is by far my favorite song on the album, "Obezyanka Nol." This has the tremendously intense emotion of the best songs of their previous album. The verse is softer, then on the chorus they belt out a chorus with rich sounds that send tingles down my spine. I play this song more than any other on the album. Maybe they do better on this song since they do it in their native language, Russian. I wish there were more songs like this one on the album! At least this song shows they still have that emotional power in them.

The album ends with "Dangerous And Moving." The song begins with a fast moving electronic riff, the one that began the album and gave a false idea that this would be a heavily electronic and energetic album like their first one; unfortunately, this is the only song on the album with an active synthesizer riff up front, and the energy doesn't pan out to be as high as the song first acts like it's going to be. However, this is still a good song and a solid conclusion to the album.

Realistically, if they make more albums, they'll probably sound more like this one than their first one. Though the emotional intensity is lower, this is still first-rate European pop music. I have thoroughly enjoyed this album and look forward to their next.

After a period of obscurity and amid rumours of cat fights, splits and solo careers, it was a welcome suprise to learn that T.A.T.U. were back with a new album. And 'Dangerous and Moving' pretty much takes up where their brilliant debut left off, each track hurtling along with an energy that leaves every other eurodisco beat in the dust, and yet with a heartfelt angst and foreboding from those amazing russian voices that most indie bands would kill for. T.A.T.U. just don't do boring songs. Admittedly, there isn't a real stand out here comparable to 'All the Things She Said', but there are certainly no weak tracks, even the potentially boring 'slow ballad' 'Gomenasai' carries too much zip to allow you to pause for breath. Great stuff and sure not to dissapoint any of their fans.

The second full length CD from t.A.T.u. is yet another highly entertaining euro-pop disc. "All About Us" is a fun and self-indulgent theme song, with its catchy ABBA influenced chorus.

The edgy gem of this disc is the fourth track, "Loves Me Not" which directly questions the controversy behind the girls' relationship.

While this disc starts with some great moments, much of the rest of it falls into the "safe" category. Tracks like "Friend Or Foe" and "Gomenasai" flirt far more with Adult Contemporary, than the racy image portrayed by the first disc.

Fortunately, the gems are strong enough to make the trip worth while, even if not quite as dangerous.

I have been a huge t.A.T.u fan since 2002... I have pretty much all of their songs including the russian remixes (like Galoyan, Fly Dream, etc.)... and I have to say... this entire CD is western wash. It sounds absolutely nothing like their old stuff... not to mention three of the videos that they made from this CD is BORING. I miss the old t.A.T.u... I say, they get Ivan back and start dancing around in their underwear again pretending to be lesbians.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR GOOD, QUALITY, MEANINGFUL MUSIC WITH THE TRUE TATY-ESQUE, AND LYRICS WITH A SENSE OF URGENCY, POWER AND COMFORTABILITY OF SINGING:












Get the Russian version.









Its so much better. Russian and English clearly don't mix, which is why, on the English versions, the lyrics don't seem to make sense or have any proper meaning. That is because, the lyrics are translated from Russki to English.

Granted, whether English, Chinese, Spanish or French is your main language, it doesn't take much effort to understand the beauty and complexity of the Russian language. When TATY sings in Russian, whether or not you understand that tongue, their manner of singing, with all their heart, is enough for you to appreciate the album greatly. There is a certain sparkle and extra depth in their music which I can't quite put my finger on. I suppose there is a certain richness, beauty and quality about Russian, in comparison to English. Rather than bother with the weak, forced, plain and watered-down English version, get the Russian version. Its guaranteed to be way more satisfying. And no, I do not understand Russian.