Rating:  -
I bought this disc when it first came out, and it always seems to work for me whenever I put it in my CD player. If you're happy, play "Everyday is a Holiday (with You)", and if you're sad, "Gone" works amazingly. All the tracks are excellent, even the somewhat haunting "Amber and Tiger's Eye". The title track, while controversial, is definitely true, and I hope artists like Esthero and also Feist keep stepping up to the plate. I can't wait for her full length "Wikked Lil' Grrrls" to come out at the end of April! It will be in my hand the day it comes out. Oh, and if you like this, check out Emma's "Free Me" for the bossanova feel.
Rating: -
I have been following esthero for a long time. I love all of her music including the songs on We R in Need of a Musical Revolution. I would recommend this cd.
Rating:  -
First, I might've given this album 5 stars but for the impression that it's incomplete and as such trying to fill an extreme void of anticipation for this immeasurably talented and sadly overlooked artist. Yes, it's an EP -- but even for an EP the songs are all over the place, each song like an hors d'oeuvre in Esthero's music style buffet. Each of the six tracks is produced by a different combination of collaborators, and while each track bears Esthero's thumbprint on co-production, there's a weakness in having too many fingers in the pie.
But it's Esthero's vocal stylings--her slightly-burred, smooth-as-chocolate voice combined with her knack for putting just exactly the right tone to every stylistic interpretation--that makes "We R In Need..." such a (guilty) sonic indulgence. The title track and "Gone" (which features Cee-Lo Green) both recall her recent single release "O.G. Bitch" with their hip-hop rhythms and funky bass lines; "I Drive Alone" is a trip-hop pleaser with Buddha Bar-esque percussion; "This Lullaby" (like the non-album bonus track "I Love You" also from O.G. Bitch) has an easygoing, Brazilian samba beat replete with horn section and Esthero "bah-bah-bahdah-ah-aah"ing her way gently over the guitar track; "Everyday Is A Holiday (WIth You)" is a light, fluffy bit of happy-go-lucky, Beatlesque retro pop and even features Sean Lennon on piano and guitar; and "Amber and Tiger's Eye", the album's so-called *bonus track*, has Esthero doing her best ambient electronica à la "Swallow Me" (Breath From Another).
This final track, though lovely and perfect for a candlelit bath surrounded by incense, is probably the weakest of the six (although not in and of itself), because there's almost nothing rhythmically, stylistically or vocally tying it to the other five numbers. The underlying instrumentals--mainly synthesizers, distorted strings and atmospheric effects--stretch out across seven-and-a-half minutes for a somewhat eerie, I'm-standing-on-a-cliff-in-the-fog-somewhere-in-Scotland experience. Hence, I'm willing to bet, the afterthought of adding it as a "bonus track".
For the record, Esthero has proved with the EP "We R In Need of a Musical Revolution" that she can samba, trip-hop, funk, torch, balladeer, and rock out with the best of them. But for her next full-length follow up to "Breath From Another" hopefully she'll have sorted out her schizophrenic tastes and gotten them to all get along in the same room. But I give it four stars, if not for sheer audacity, then for the fact that Esthero is one of those rare artists' artist--hey, she ain't no Ashanti or Brittany Spears...and thank heaven for that--who refuses to conform to anyone's idea of what women in music should be or sound like.
Rating: -
Esthero is truly a talented artist. This recent EP showcases the versatility of her voice and music. She serves up some trip hop, pop, R&B with rap, and some ambient sounds. Recently saw her perform one of the tracks, "Gone", along with unreleased material from her upcoming LP and it was awesome. Esthero has been overlooked by record buyers and perhaps been cursed by anxious critics. I will say though that she has never disappointed me with her music, her voice is pure and real and she doesn't take herself too seriously but still manages to make a point. If you like music for it's quality as opposed to its commercial value, then Esthero is for you.
Rating:  -
I love Breath From Another. It's seriously my favorite CD ever, by anyone. Considering that, I just can't get into this EP. There are a couple tracks I like (not love), a couple I'm indifferent about, and one I think is absolutely terrible.
I like Gone, This Lullaby, and I Drive Alone. They remind me of Breath From Another - obviously not the same, but to me they are the kinds of songs I would expect.
I hate Every Day is a Holiday With You. Not only is it a cheeseball song that I would expect to hear from the artists Esthero is apparently rallying against, but her voice just doesn't work for it!
The title track can be a little catchy, but the lyrics are insipid and used. I really don't get Amber and Tiger's Eye...I think it's dull.
All in all, I'm still going to buy the album to see what direction she chose to go with her music, since this EP is definitely all over the place.
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