Personnel: Dido (vocals, recorder, keyboards); Rick Nowels (acoustic guitar, Wurlitzer piano, Chamberlin, keyboards); Paulie Herman (guitar, harmonica); John Themis (electric guitar, percussion); Rusty Anderson, Martin McCory (electric guitar); Dave Randall (guitar); Mark Felton (harmonica); Mark Bates (piano, Wurlitzer piano, organ, keyboards); Paul Statham (piano, keyboards); Duncan Bridgeman, Peter Vittese (keyboards, programming); Sister Bliss, Bruce Aisher (keyboards); Aubrey Nunn, Tim Vogt, Youth, John Pierce (bass); Richie Stevens, Geoff Dugmore (drums, percussion); Matty Benbrook (drums, programming); Mal Hyde Smith, Sudha (percussion); Rollo, James Sanger, Jony Rockstar, Nick Manasseh (programming); Pauline Taylor, Rachel Brown, Aquila (background vocals).
Producers include: Rick Nowels, Dido, Rollo, Duncan Bridgeman, Sister Bliss.
Engineers include: Ash Howes, Phill Brown, Goetz.
UK chanteuse Dido uses her undisputed pop vocal smarts to enchant the listener from the outset of her solo debut NO ANGEL. Captivating songs laced with electronica, trip-hop and rock combine effortlessly with the singer/songwriter's sultry vocals to create a fresh sounding, vibrant release.
Tracks like "Don't Think of Me," "All You Want," and "Thank You," are strong and powerful but never overwhelming. There are also some more ambient-type cuts, such as "My Lover's Gone" and "Here With Me," where swirling, airy sound textures envelop the song. Throughout NO ANGEL, Dido's melting vocals enfold the listener. Disarming cuts like "Honestly OK," "My Life," and "I'm No Angel," are immediately engaging. The album also includes a bonus track, "Take My Hand."
What the critics say...
Entertainment Weekly (6/4/99, pp.86-7) - "...[DIDO has] crafted a set of elegantly rockin' romantic yearners...swelling-stringed emoters...[that] create a lovely sonic intamacy." - Rating: B
Q (1/01, p.105) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...Showcases an ethereal yet rootsy sound best described as folk-hop....palatable if prosaic..."
CMJ (5/3/99, p.29) - "...The digital chanteuse, who, as a child, was trained in classical music is a subtly suductive vocalist..."
Mojo (Publisher) (2/01, p.90) - "...A classy introduction....making for music of the lasting kind..."
