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List Price: $29.49 | | Label: Universal/Umtv
Salesrank: 1407267
Released: December 4, 2006 |
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| Used Price: $45.99 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Life in Mono Track Listing:
1. All I Need to Know
2. Life in Mono
3. Mischievous
4. Perfect Strangers
5. He Loves Me Not
6. I Wasn't Looking (When I Found Love)
7. Take Me to Another Town
8. Undressing You
9. I'm Not Crying Over Yesterdays
10. All That You'll Be
Editorial Review:
Limited Edition UK-only pressing of the 2006 album from Emma Bunton (AKA Baby Spice) features three bonus tracks: 'Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen', 'Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps' and Por Favour'. Life In Mono is Emma's most honest album to date, an intimate reflection of Emma's life and loves that reveal more than she was ever expecting. Musically it sounds like a rich pop album even at first listen, with rich orchestral backing, gorgeous harmonies and the sort of chorus' Burt Bacharach could be proud of. It moves from the stunningly tender 'All I Need To Know' to cheeky jazz of 'Undressing You' and the luscious Carpenters style of 'I'm Not Crying Over Yesterday's' . Above all it captures Emma's thoroughly modern take on elegant 60's Pop. Universal.
Life in Mono Reviews:
Who Is Afraid of Emma? 
2007-01-29 - Like almost everybody knows, Emma Bunton is a former member of Spice Girls which was the most famous girl pop band ever! She learned a lot in that band, and now you can hear that she has developed so much that she sings perfectly! The opening track "All I Need to Know" didn't impress me much at the beginning but after listening it many times I started to love it! "Life in Mono", "Mischievous", "He Loves Me Not", "I Wasn't Looking (When I Found Love)", and "Take Me to Another Town" were the songs I liked from the first listening. It seems that Emma is interested in jazz music because there's lots of impulses from that kind of music. You could say that this is a jazz-pop album. There's two songs that aren't so good: "Perfect Strangers", and "All That You'll Be" - they are so basic stuff. This is defintely a great album but I would say that Emma's two earlier albums are a little bit better - of course Emma's albums could never be awful.
Stars: Life in Mono, He Loves Me Not, All I Need to Know
Emma's Finest Record to Date! 
2006-12-17 - When we last heard Emma, she was doing her best to convince her audience that she was from the 1960's. With the release of her junior effort, "Life In Mono" Emma moves further into that sound, leaving behind the fun irony & kitsch of "Free Me". Well, she leaves it behind mostly, it does pop up occasionely.
Emma presents a demure, mature, sexy, yet playfully coy set of ballads & fun mid-tempo numbers that occupy the record. Five are covers (three only included on the expanded version of this record): "Downtown", "Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen)", "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps", "Por Favor", & the title track. These are excellent & Emma manages to make them hers, without leaving behind the original shimmer that made these songs what they were.
The other material is strictly Emma's, as she guides her assured voice through poignant ballads ("All That I Need to Know") & swinging bossa nova numbers ("He Loves Me Not"). The sound is much more rich here, much fuller as on "I Wasn't Looking (When I Found Love)", a perfect example. The programming is lush & the strings & other back orchestration only compliment this.
Vocally, Emma has never sounded more assured. Her voice soars on the sparkling flirt of a number "Mischievous", she gets a little smoky on "Undressing You", & keeps it slightly cutesy on "Take Me to Another Town".
Overall, Emma has finally delivered her finest record, one that easily outdoes her debut & her sophmore record. One can only wonder if she can top herself here. Highly recommended!
Wonderful follow-up to Free Me
2006-12-12 - If you appreciate sophisticated smartly arranged pop songs with catchy melodies then you should give this CD a try. It's a breath of fresh air in today's melodically-challenged musical landscape. Honestly, this CD has more hooks than Opie's tackle-box. Maybe that's why, like Emma's last CD 'Free Me', I listen to it day after day, which is something I very rarely do with new CDs I buy. She sings in a very pleasant Olivia Newton John-ish voice that straightforwardly accentuates the song's strengths and she doesn't sound much like any of the current slate of new millenium starlets out there . It's strange to me that such wonderful CDs could be made a former Spice Girl, a group I never had much use for, but there it is. I think this CD proves that 'Free Me' was no fluke, and I look forward to seeing where Emma Bunton goes from here.
WOW, This album is FAB baby.
2006-12-09 - I left this review for a few days so I could give it few listening.
Free Me was a really great album, which I did not buy until March this year.
When I first listen to it I was blown away, I just did not expect this from Emma.
Now over to Life In Mono, First listening It did not seem as good as Free Me.
But its a grower Emma has a sweet singing voice, which is pleasant to listen to. All the songs are good, still having the 60s bossa nova sound to most of them. Best tracks are. Life In Mono, Mischievous, He Loves Me Not, I Wasn't Looking, Take Me To Another Town, I'm Not Crying Over Yesterdays, All That You'll Be, and Something Tells Me.
All in all this is a solid album, and is as good as Free Me if not better.
well done Emma for a third fantastic album, and the best so far.
Rating Six stars, yes it really is that good.
