Cosmo Jarvis - Crazy Screwed Up Lady

Label: Wall of Sound Release Date: 15/03/10 Website: Official Website The start of a biography tells me that Cosmo Jarvis is ‘a new kind of artist…a songwriter and a singer, but also a filmmaker, storyteller, poet, iconoclast, Jessica Alba enthusiast and campaigner for the equal treatment of gay pirates.’ It is a typical introduction for a solo artist who basically makes good-time pop. From the moment the well-produced single ‘Crazy Screwed Up Lady’ begins, my suspicions are confirmed: perfectly balanced echoing keyboard, a tap-along drum beat, fashionable electro to pad out the background and obligatory acoustic guitar, they combine to make a great radio tune. Along the lines of the now barely-remembered Just Jack, this track plays with a lot of simple musical elements and a forgettably irresistible chorus. It’s consequently insanely catchy: I was singing along with the chorus before I’d even heard it through once. Unfortunately, that also means it’s predictable, and a little boring on repeat. Lyrically, Cosmo Jarvis has attempted more poetic lyrics in the verses: he is trying for ‘it all’, but I think the verses lose atmosphere due to the chorus’ beat-heavy repetition. You can be sure you’ve heard this single before, but it isn’t so bad.