When Sophie Ellis Bextor broke through, in the early 2000s, I really thought she was going to be massive, but with the occasional appearance put aside, I feel she pretty much disappeared after her debut album.
I know that she’s still recording and has been releasing music since, but the success she had with “Murder On The Dance Floor” and “Get Over You” has only been slightly met when she collaborated with DJ Armin van Buuren for the song “Not Giving Up On Love”. This is also the only track that shows a different sound to her usual material.
Since 2001, Sophie Ellis Bextor hasn’t really evolved her sound. She still depends on a slightly updated retro disco sound, which either reminds you of the late 70s or the 80s. This has always got her the unwanted (by her) comparison to Kylie Minogue.
What I like about her is her accent. It gives her an effortless sound, not just vocally, but also in playfulness. The English accent has a habit of sounding very polite and she can get away with anything lyrically because of it.
In this time of everyone releasing greatest hits albums, Sophie Ellis Bextor has released this collection of ten. The title that these are her best is a bit deceiving. It’s a great selection of her songs, I agree, but if it were her best than I’m missing “Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)” and the previously managed collaboration with Armin van Buuren.
Nevertheless, ”Ten Best” is a good representation of miss Bextor’s repertoire. Her most recent original release, “Wanderlust”, released in 2014, is kept out of the selection. Not to my surprise, because the album actually shows a different side to her. “Wanderlust” is filled with slow songs, sometimes even with a bit of rock influence, and just shows a mature sound compared to the rest of her work.
Even though music is her livelihood, Sophie is also known for her fashion style. Her retro sound in music is as much apparent in her fashion taste; she loves vintage clothes. Her love for clothes is even bigger than her love for music, as she recently admitted in her “5 things I can’t live without”. One thing music and clothes do have in common, is that if done well you never go out of style.
