From: Pioneer Press

Published: Tuesday, December 21, 1999

British singer Dido takes pop music to new places

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VINCENT HOPWOOD STAFF WRITER
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The lights go down, and just as the crowd turns its attention to the stage, out comes what looks like a rap group, complete with DJ and turntable.
It's the last thing the crowd at the Fine Line Music Cafe might expect with a breathy electronica-folk crooner like Dido. But when she strolled onto the stage and launched into the smooth pop of ``My Love Is Gone,'' these contrasts proved that there is more to this northern English siren than meets the eye.

Dido (pronounced ``die-doe'') has gained recognition this year in fits and starts. After playing six dates this summer with the Lilith Fair tour, Dido has seen her first single, ``Here With Me,'' make a splash on adult contemporary radio thanks, in part, to exposure on the television show ``Roswell.''

Dido added another standard pop song, spiced with some samples from the DJ, before jumping into the meat of the set: ``Here With Me,'' fan favorite ``Safe in My Own Skin'' and the CD's title track, ``No Angel.''

In the production of her album, Dido relies on the complex electronica textures conjured by her producer-brother, Rollo, to provide the contrast to her folksy vocals and acoustic accompaniment. Fans of the English group Portishead might hear something familiar in the dark and moody areas of the album. However, in a surprising twist to her performance Sunday night, Dido stretched the dimensions of her sound to include hip-hop and jazz.

``Here With Me,'' a song whose production relies heavily on synthesized effects and keyboards, was rendered neatly by her three-piece band and DJ. Originally a spooky ballad with sweeping synthesized effects, the live version brought a jazz flavor to the song, strengthening its message of longing and desire.

``Safe in My Own Skin'' continued in this mode, serving up meaty bass and effects-laden percussion. ``No Angel'' capped the middle of the set with an almost Sade-like smooth-jazz feel.

The last half of the show consisted of pop tunes closer to the mainstream. While the pleasant jazziness of the middle songs was present, the set came to an end, rather than building to another explosive musical plateau.

This reworking of her studio-produced work with funky jazz bass grooves and hot Latin percussion provided a wonderful extension beyond the pop/folk stew that has simmered on the radio over the past several years.

While Dido's vocal range is somewhat limited, she does have a solid mastery of her voice. Despite some hoarseness from a cold, she expressed a surprising depth of emotion in her vocal delivery.

Opening for Dido was Tara McLean, a country-influenced Canadian with a powerful voice who alternately belted out and crooned her way through an eight-song set. Her recent contract with Arista records is well-deserved, as evidenced by a standout a cappella performance at the conclusion of her set. Unfortunately, while her vocals were technically impressive, they lacked emotional impact.

An unbilled opening act, local folk rocker Susan Sandberg, didn't quite exhibit the vocal talent of McLean. She did, however, turn heads in the audience with a solid set and genuine emotion in her performance.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vincent Hopwood can be reached at vhopwood@pioneerpress.com or (651) 228-5476.