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Daily Cougar

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Runga's album a sweet change

Original article is at: Daily Cougar

Posted: Volume 68, Issue 66, November 26, 2002

By: Cara Sarelli

Now here's something to respect a pop singer who writes her own songs, and theyíre not half-bad, either.

Twenty-six-year-old Bic Runga, a Southern New Zealand native, released Beautiful Collision, her second album to the United States in October, after spending three years writing and recording it.

In Beautiful Collision, 26-year-old Bic Runga
melts listenersí ears with innocent and dreamy lyrics.

Deb Smith/Columbia Records

Her self-produced debut album, Drive, released in 1997 in New Zealand and 1998 in the United States, made her an overnight star, at least in her homeland, if not internationally. The album took home several Tui awards (New Zealandís Grammys) that year, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Vocal Performance and Best Songwriter. Runga also won the Silver Scroll for songwriting, and became the biggest-selling artist of all time in New Zealand.

Runga not only authors all her lyrics; the songbird plays piano, guitar and drums on her newest album. Her voice strikes notes clearly and smoothly. Her words can be made out with crisp precision as the soprano easily glides on triads and scales.

Beautiful Collision has moments of sweet poppy sounds and of quiet, folky reflection. The lyrics are mostly cheesy, innocent and optimistic, like in "Something Good": "Just wanna know ya/ Just wanna talk to ya/ I wanna hear about your day/ Iíd never leave ya/ Never be mean to ya/ Iíd always let you get your way."

The chorus goes on in a positive, dreamy way: "Something good will come our way/ and maybe this good thingís gonna happen today." And that's the extent of Runga's simple songwriting, but it works for her.

One could assume the average indie rocker or classic rock fan wouldn't appreciate the album, but stranger things have happened. Runga had a way of sneaking onto this critic's good side. Hey, with all the unintelligent eye candy making pop records sell like hotcakes right now, it's nice to know something delicate and uncorrupted still lies on the shelves for young people. If I had a daughter, I'd buy this album for her.