Sound Advice: CD Reviews - Bif Naked self-titled

CD Review:
This self-titled release is quite an interesting debut for the globe-trotting female. Most consider her to be a Canadian musician (as all her musical work has come from Winnipeg and Vancouver) even though she spent her younger years in India and the States.

This album re-incarnates both Rough Trade era Carol Pope and She's So Unusual Cyndi Lauper. She is not the typical pop-diva, hiding in the skin of an angry young woman, but she has that unorthodox attractiveness that Lauper fronted when singing songs like "Time After Time." Just as Pope was not shy in revealing her lesbianism though song, Bif's opening track tells in a stark manner her lustful attraction for a straight woman who pays her no attention. Although "High School Confidential" broke territory bringing girl-on-girl love to the mainstream, and presently songs like "Everything" are just repetitions of the sort, Bif's opening number does justice to the history.

The whole album is laced with sexuality in all its forms. Whether Bif is a lesbian or not (she also sings about relationships with men, although they involve either cheating assholes or rapists), she puts forth all the emotional turmoil that many young people go through when confronting gender and sexual identity.

Although she tackles some heady and serious issues (like rape and parental separation) the sincerity seems lacking. Whether it's her inability to get under the surface of an issue, or the adolescent self-portraying doodling telling you to wear condoms or be impressed with her ability to cuss, Bif needs a bit of maturing before she can move to the next level of musical and lyrical mastery.

What attracted me to Bif in the first place, and that is the reason why this album (and all her others) are worth a purchase, is her knack to breakthrough the mediocre every once in a while and come up with a strange and quirky song like "My Bike." Its irrelevance is its charm and along with future singles like "Spaceman," "I Love Myself Today" and "Tango Shoes" Bif can be considered a pop singer of some merit.

Let's hope that in the future (that is, the albums released after this one), when taking on the more serious subject matters of the world, her renderings are more subterranean. (ie. below the surface).

Scott D. Brown