Search - Cristina :: Doll in the Box

Re-discover a rare gem

A. Griffiths | London | 12/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Cristina (Monet) became something of a cult figure when she released two albums in the 1980's and then apparently retired. They have both been very hard to find since then, so this re-release of both is long overdue. This CD of the first album (re-titled "Doll in the Box" for some reason), may sound like just another late 1970's disco album on the first listen, but it should soon become apparent that Cristina is playing with her listeners with her unique take on the genre. The production is spot on, lavishly created by August Darnell (of Kid Creole fame) for ZE Records, but it is Cristina's ultra-dry vocal delivery that really packs the punch. Fans of Uk singer Sophie Ellis Bextor may find lots to enjoy here, as Cristina was the original pioneer of the deadpan, jaded recital that Sophie uses. One of the stand-out tracks has to be "Don't Be Greedy", in which Cristina berates her two-timing lover, over a sugar-sweet disco backing track (my favourite line" I think it's time that I put on the brake, I'm not that liberal and you're not that great..."). She's also adept at a faux Marilyn Monroe girly-cuteness, which you'll hear in the camp opener "Jungle Love" ("I'm not afraid!" she coos as a lustful giant ape approaches!).

The original album consisted of just 6 (long) tracks, but this new edition bolsters the running time with some great extras, in particular, Cristina's notorious re-working of the Peggy Lee hit "Is That All There Is?", which was apparently banned by the original songwriters who took offence at her rather brutal re-interpretation of the song (Sample line "I remember when I was a little girl, my mother set the house on fire...She was like that...").

You also get the Monroe-esque "Drive My Car" and the terrific "Disco Clone" in which Cristina portrays a whole army of disco-dancing floozies ("Come on everybody, there's enough to go around!").

Cristina deserved more recognition than she achieved, so hopefully the bit of new publicity for these albums will encourage new listeners to try them out. I strongly urge anyone with a sense of humour to invest immediately.

"

Witty mutant disco

Pieter | Johannesburg | 02/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Cristina was the star-diva of the cult label Ze Records in the late 1970s and early 80s. Her legacy includes two brilliant albums and some unforgettable singles like the mournful Christmas song Things Fall Apart. Doll In The Box is an extended and enhanced version of her 1980 eponymous debut album. This theatrical and amusing work starts with Jungle Love, a funny faux-primitive number with darkly erotic undertones and tribal chants. It is followed by the tongue-in-chic Don't Be Greedy, a mid tempo dance number with the most witty lyrics imaginable including put-downs like "I'm not that liberal/And you're not that great."



The uptempo pop ditty Mama Mia is followed by a brief interlude and then comes the beautiful La Poupe Qui Fait Non, a French chanson with a lovely tune and gorgeous vocals by her and by Gilles Riberolles. Temporarily Yours is a dreamy ballad in the rhythmic style of the chick-chanted numbers of Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band or Kid Creole And The Coconuts, whilst Blame It On Disco is another side-splitting disco send-up, now even funnier with the benefit of hindsight. It also has the strong influence of August Darnell with some really cute instrumental breaks.



When it was originally released as a single more than 20 years ago, Cristina's version of the Peggy Lee hit Is That All There Is was recalled following the threat of a lawsuit by composers Leiber and Stoller. Finally I know why, as Cristina's lyric variations are the epitome of dark humour and the mood one of utter ennui and cynicism, but hilarious all the way. The best part is about her boyfriend from Manhattan that she loved dearly even though he was prone to violence. This song also contains atmospheric party sounds, laughter and breaking glass, to authenticate the cinematic evocation of world-weariness.



Disco Clone has Kevin Cline as the male narrator that conducts a dialogue with Cristina's multi-tracked voice representing the pretty but vacuous disco dames. What a wonderful parody! The Ballad Of Immoral Manufacture is an extended version of Disco Clone with a more dancefloor-friendly club rhythm. Cristina's nave bimbo voice here reminds me of that eerily sweet mother of one of the South Park urchins.



There are single and extended versions of Drive My Car, a Lennon/McCarthy number that Ms Monet turns into an evocative mini-drama. At the height of the disco boom many prominent rock artists made disco records, like Rod Stewart (Do You Think I'm Sexy?) and the Rolling Stones (Miss You). Frank Zappa satirised the phenomenon on Dancing Fool. But this album is more than just the subversion of a genre or a parody of an era or a hedonistic ethos, but an achievement of authentic musical genius.



The fold-out CD case contains a booklet with lovely pics of Cristina including the front and back cover of the original vinyl album and the cover of the Drive My Car single, plus a brief history of her career by Kurt B. Reighly. I also highly recommend Cristina's rock-oriented second album Sleep It Off on which she outfaithfulls Marianne Faithfull, and the Ze Records compilation Mutant Disco.

"

This Is Crap

Yeah Right! | 11/09/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"If you have no other way to hear this music, then go ahead and buy this cd. Cristina is great but this cd is obviously taken from vinyl and sounds horrible. You can actually hear the record static and the high hats will hurt your ears. I'm going to return mine."