Track Listing

1. America
2. David Duchovny
3. Walk Away
4. Smitten
5. Not Your Girl
6. Fallen
7. The Cheap And Evil Girl
8. Faster, Faster
9. Fool' s Gold
10. Guttermouth
11. Show Me

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #123950 in Music
• Released on: 2000-04-11
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Based on the hit single "David Duchovny," it's tempting to dismiss A Cheap and Evil Girl as novelty album. Sharp humorously confesses her infatuation with the X-Files hottie, singing "Sitting like a mindless clone / Waiting for him to tap my phone," later adding, "I'm sweet and I'm cuddly / I'm gonna kill Scully." "David Duchovny," however, is merely an over-the-top introduction to an album loaded with intelligent and poetic songs, some as heartbreaking as others are hilarious. Sharp's quavering vocals thread the virulent tendencies of the Throwing Muses and Sleater-Kinney together with the irreverent sass of the B-52s' Kate Pierson. As a songwriter, her musical narratives are bolstered by lo-fi production and rock arrangements that are simultaneously daring and delicate. Think of her as the female Robyn Hitchcock. Like a lively conversation cut short, A Cheap and Evil Girl leaves you yearning to hear more. --Beth Massa

Customer Reviews

Bree Sharp CD
I first discovered Bree Sharp by chance when I was picking songs for a free mix CD. I picked her song "David Duchovny" (I was a X-Files Fan)and "America" to finish up my choices. I have always liked those songs and found her on MySpace where I found she was in a new band now which should have a new CD out soon. That inspired me to get her first CD with the two songs I liked. I am glad I tracked her CD down. I like Woman that Rock like Joan Jett and Liz Phair. [...]

The truth about this CD is out there...
Like most who sampled this, I was hooked by the askew pop tribute to X-files star David Duchovny. The ephemeral nature of pop icons probably tends to make people overlook this album as an artifact of the past decade, but that's writing Sharp off too easily. Lyrics claiming the TV spookchaser is the "American Heathcliff" and the stalkerish menace of the fadeout "I'll be waiting in Nevada" hint at the abilities Bree possesses. A listen to the album reveals an awful lot for your about $5 used.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"America" simultaneously castigates ("sit back, relax, enjoy the war from your living room") and celebrates ("All I know is my lonely soul and the remote control") consumerism and apathy, while "Fallen" addresses the issues of poverty and suffering viewed through the lens of a little girl's eyes, perhaps Bree's own? ("Why doesn't everyone have what they need? Where are the angels?"). While "Fallen" may be the album's strongest song, loose male harmony vocals keep the chorus from being what it could be. "Cheap and Evil Girl" puts Bree in the shoes of a femme fatale who toys with boys AND the law ("The dumb gumshoe making his rounds, shaking all the wrong girls down").

LOWS:
Probably the only completely lackluster tracks on this one for me are "Show Me" which seems out of place as it careens between angsty rock and formulaic pop..and "Fool's Gold" which is a by the numbers disillusionment tale.

BOTTOM LINE:
Better than the bargain bins you find her in...think of her as Sheryl Crow with more snarl and better lyrics in general. I'll be looking for a copy of Sharp's followup "More B.S." now...

3 1/2 stars

Suprisingly good
Upon first hearing her "David Duchovny" song played on late night radio, I had initially blown it off as a novelty.

Since anything with the X-Files was then saturating the media, hearing that pop tribute at that time was too much for me.
Being only a casual fan of the X Files, the song was not an absolute favorite upon initial release. I believed that Sharp had (and still has talent) but did not think she was the greatest musician in the world.

The song stuck with me however, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I had not imagined myself into liking her voice---or imagining the song itself.

Sounding faintly like Natalie Merchant, Sharp has the reedy voice which many a young `alternative' songstress still is trying to develop. Although the theme of her song is creepy (asking David Duchovny why he does not love her and then alternating between `regular' girl and obsessive fan), it works well for the mood of the song.

The song has to be a pop melody to get listeners to forget that Sharp is essentially playing an obsessive/psychotic fan. A more somber musical arrangement and vocals would have sound very gloomy, potentially driving away people.