Nerina Pallot
I Don’t Know What I’m Doing
Idaho Records
Buy via Official Store | Listen Below
Nerina Pallot hit the ground running in the 2000s with her first three albums: Dear Frustrated Superstar (2001), Fires (2005), and The Graduate (2009). This triptych of recordings represented some of the finest of that decade and saw the English singer, lyricist and pianist strikingly marry indie and mainstream pop sensibilities in a wholly distinctive way. That said, her various label homes—Polydor, 14th Floor (an arm of Warner Brothers U.K.), Echo—had no idea what to do with this enterprising talent. By the time Pallot issued Year of the Wolf (2011), her fourth effort, it was her final major label release (via Geffen).
But that collection, alongside The Sound and the Fury (2015) and Stay Lucky (2017), were all next-level projects where she respectively tapped into blue-eyed soul, experimental alt-pop, and California soft rock. These three sequential masterworks garnered much critical acclaim and brought Pallot vindication even if she wasn’t necessarily seeking it. And with her reputation as a live musician in fantastic standing too, it all felt like a crescendo of sorts.
Having scaled such heights, what could she do next?
The title of Pallot’s current offering I Don’t Know What I’m Doing is a wry, humorous wink at artistic expectation and perception. Extremely self-aware of her creative voice, Pallot’s seventh affair (and third tendered on her own Idaho imprint) is full of intelligent writing and dimensional productions—hallmarks of her output. What is different this time is that she executes the material with even more flair and refinement without ever feeling intemperate.
“Cold Places,” with a plush harp cascade at its opening, adventurously introduces the long player. For the experienced Pallot aficionado, the cinematic sprawl of this composition will undoubtedly recall the exploratory tenor of The Sound and the Fury—and that isn’t incidental. Past albums always found Pallot donning an eclectic array of sonic guises—I Don’t Know What I’m Doing allows Pallot to collate these various incarnations in one place. Crisp piano-led pieces (“There Is A River”), witty indie fare (“Don’t Dare (Love Is Hell)”), saucy R&B jams (“The Way We Are”), and mellow acoustic numbers (the title track)—they’re all here and then some. Executed in that brilliant, fractal pop genre style.
Pallot produced all thirteen selections housed on the LP—done up in bright melodies and colorful grooves—and she also penned their words. That she just gets better and better at her trade is definitely impressive; equally commendable is her abiding affection for the timeless tradition of the session musician—she enlists only the best here to make her stock shine.
Many reviewers have observed vestiges of Brenda Russell, Rickie Lee Jones and the Doobie Brothers (among others) in the make-up of Pallot’s songs; that reverence has been misinterpreted as an overriding fealty to vintage persuasion. Although she does enjoy those who have gone before, Pallot’s set is as fresh as Taylor Swift’s evermore (2020) or Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (2022). A single-minded passion for solid songcraft is what has let Pallot cut across these often fussy popular music idioms of “classic” or “modern” previously, this album is no exception—it will thrive today and appreciate accordingly in the years to come.
Part of what lends I Don’t Know What I’m Doing its vitality is down to Pallot’s singing. “Chanson,” the sparse, orchestral closer of the record, is packed with drama and wonder thanks to the stunning performance she turns in. Pallot carries on in this way over the expanse of this record, her voice managing to occupy scrappy, soulful and sophisticated spaces. Three other selections announce themselves as subsequent vocal highlights: “Alice at the Beach,” “Mama,” and “Only the Old Songs.”
Synchronal to the superb vocal work and song construction held on I Don’t Know What I’m Doing are its scripts. Assorted tales about love (“Fun”), family (“Australia”), life and loss (“Born”) position Pallot as an investigative force regarding the endless facets of the human condition—she leaves nary a stone unturned and often mines her own existence for inspiration. Though she’s capable of going bigger too as evinced with “Master Builder,” an entry asking for answers to uneasy questions about these bad times we’re all living through now.
Taken in its totality, I Don’t Know What I’m Doing is a remarkably accomplished feat, one built around Pallot’s personality and energy. Poised and elegant, but authentic and true, the album is a superlative example of what someone can do in the pop genre when they’re focused on the art above all else. Of course, this is just my view of things. Pallot’s perspective on the matter is aptly expressed in the record’s sleeve notes, “Is there a right or wrong way to make an album? I don’t know. Only you, the listener, can be the judge of that.”
I’m more than confident that anyone who engages with I Don’t Know What I’m Doing will come away with the same opinion that I have: it is a masterpiece. Full stop.
Notable Tracks: “Australia” | “Chanson” | “Cold Places” | “The Way We Are”
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