Four years ago, Dido, a quiet eyed British chanteuse with a smoky voice appeared on the scene with the LP No Angel. Her audience ranged from innocent teens to Eminem fans (portions of "Thank You" in his "Stan"). On Life For Rent,she still sings of life and love to the tune of smoothly composed melodies, but there's now a touch of darkness in her lyrics and edge to her voice. The changes add interest to an album that's charmingly familiar but decidedly unremarkable.
The first single, "White Flag," effectively establishes theme and tone, capturing the listener's attention with crafty arrangements and moody lyrics delivered with a languorous lilt.
The rest of the album is an eleven-track m??lange of the same, a swirl of trip-hop beats and whimsical titles (such as "See Your When You're 40" and "Sand in My Shoes"). Stylistically, this consistency works in Dido's favor, bringing together the disparate elements of Life for Rent with a kind of unity. It does get a bit old, though, producing an aural monotony that negates the impact of genuinely clever bits of songwriting.
The tracks are a bit too long as well - you get the feeling that you've not only heard it before but also that you don't particularly care to hear it again.
Nevertheless, in a genre where the vast majority of hits have less substance that helium balloons, Dido's smart yet pop-friendly songs are a welcome alternative, flaws and all.
