Imogen Heap: Speak For Yourself : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

With Speak for Yourself, Imogen Heap proves that she's a lot more than just some woman with a cool Dickensian name whom you might have heard on the soundtrack to Garden State or between teen traumas on The O.C. This former Frou Frou frontwoman turns out to be a significant talent in her own right. In Frou Frou, Bjork and Madonna producer Guy Sigsworth seemed to be the ones calling most of the shots; Speak for Yourself is ballsier, and it shows vividly that Heap is not just a compelling vocalist from the Kate Bush school for the intensely intriguing. She's a charismatic singer willing to dig deep and even give us a little electro-yodel when need be. "Hide and Seek" -- which made a splash on The O.C. -- is lovely and textured, "Headlock" is rhythmic and darkly sensual and "The Moment I Said It" shows Heap doesn't need electronics to turn us on. If Eminem liked Dido, he should check out Speak for Yourself right now.