Most of America seemed to think that Nicole Scherzinger’s career was over, but that is clearly a myth. The singer released a new album, Big Fat Lie, in Europe just last week. What has to be one of Nicole’s smartest career moves, she took her music to a region that will appreciate it. After years of nothing but singles with no albums to follow, we are finally enticed again by the siren who is Nicole Scherzinger.
Her album begins with her popular, upbeat single “Your Love,” which starts off with a sensual tone but quickly changes to a cheerful anthem of love. True to who Nicole is, the song’s lyrics are quite urban and reminded me of her rebellion against ultra-pop sounds like that of her former group, the Pussy Cat Dolls. The song’s ending breaks down into an array of drums and synths, which eventually fade out and led me into track two.
If it wasn’t evident enough in the first song, Nicole clearly likes to straddle the fence between Pop and R ‘n’ B. “Electric Blue” is another uptempo song with smooth vocals and an impressive production that upstages the lyrics. The song features rapper T.I., who is commonly referred to as the “King of the South.” His feature, in my opinion, is a gimmick that she didn’t need. But the song is a testament to uncontrollable love that feels “electric.” The same feeling of desire and appreciation for her lover continues in song three, “On the Rocks”.
Nicole Scherzinger portrays a deep love that she seems to fiend for, especially in songs like “Heartbreaker.” In the song, Nicole expresses a strong desire for a man who is capable of breaking her heart. It is as if, in her mind, that is what defines a true man. She sings “I need that heartbreaker/I need something to lose/I need that breath taker/When it’s gone, it leaves a bruise.”
At this point in the album, Nicole switches the theme. She started out in love and craving for more love, and now she’s just had her heart broken. Strangely, instead of the sad love songs I’m used to, she gave me a song of content with “God of War.” From that point, the album continued with song after song about being over love and falling out of it. In songs like “Girl with the Diamond Heart,” “Just a Girl,” and “First Time,” I was guided by smooth, intoxicating vocals straight into Nicole’s heart. I was thrown off course by Hip-Hop sounds like those displayed in “Bang,” and the perfectly produced title track “Big Fat Lie.”
When I reached the last song of the album, it was a pleasant feeling to hear the same themes from previous songs, but in slow motion. In last song on the album, the vocals are soulful, and express the peak of her emotions about love. This is the album’s one and only ballad. She sings “He’ll try and tell you that he wants you/Just to keep you on the line/And right when you’re about to move on/He pulls you back every time.” It is very evident that she speaking to the woman who comes next in her man’s life. Her simple advice for this other women is to “Run.” But as a listener, I didn’t run. The song left me feeling vulnerable, with a plethora of questions for the guy I meet next. That kind of effectiveness is born from true talent, and talent is something that Nicole Scherzinger does not lack.