Eyes Wide Open

Album Review

Olivia Broadfield's debut album, Eyes Wide Open, offers sweet electronic pop that recalls the similarly fragile work of Dido and Imogen Heap. Tracks like "Holding Onto You" sparkle and flutter, with Broadfield's charming wisp of a voice emphasizing the softness of the sounds around her. But while Eyes Wide Open is never less than pretty, it rarely rises above that. It's difficult to make music this delicate really distinctive, and Broadfield's common-sounding song titles like "Save Me" and lyrics like "Right from the start/I knew you'd capture my heart" don't help matters. She fares better when the lyrics and music give her more to do, as on "Lost in You," where rolling live drums and a darker undercurrent add some drama, while "Probably Nothing"'s harp and subtle chorus swells show a more sophisticated side. Eyes Wide Open's pure pop moments, such as "The Weight," "Don't Cry," and "Don't Let Go," while still gentle, also give Broadfield more to hang on to and feel less like sonic wallpaper than other songs. [The reissue of Eyes Wide Open that Vagrant released in 2009 shuffled the track sequencing and added a few new songs, including "Crashing Down," which features production by Frou Frou's Guy Sigsworth. He gives the track the focus and distinctive edge that the rest of Eyes Wide Open needed — which, in some ways, makes the rest of the album a little more frustrating, but at least shows that Broadfield's music takes flight when she works with more creative collaborators.]