Paris＜限定盤/Hot Fluorescent Pink Vinyl＞

当時何かとお騒がせだった"PARIS HILTON"が、大勢の売れっ子プロデューサーを迎えて制作した隙のない極上ポップ・アルバム『PARIS』が限定カラー盤で再発!ラッパーの"FAT JOE"、"JADAKISS"もゲスト参加!不朽のポップ・カルチャー・アイコンによる最強アルバムです。

As everybody knows, Paris Hilton is famous simply for existing. Even before she was a household name the heiress to the Hilton hotel fortune was famous in certain circles, partially because of her pedigree, partially because she was at every exclusive party, partially because of her very name, an instantly memorable and malleable moniker that spawned T-shirts ("Paris Hilton Is Burning") and gossip websites alike. All this hipster activity was bound to spill over into the mainstream and it did in a spectacular fashion in 2003 when she and Nicole Richie -- her best friend for life circa 2003 -- starred in the reality series The Simple Life, which saw the two pampered socialites attempting to fit into the real world of Wal-Marts and roadhouse saloons. Pretty soon, she was everywhere and she began dabbling in almost every part of the entertainment industry, from film to fashion. What all these projects had in common is that they all featured Paris as Paris -- even when she was getting whacked in House of Wax, she wasnt really playing a character -- and in all of them her presence never matched her persona, which always was more compelling as seen through the prism of tabloids. She seemed destined to never deliver any project that would justify her fame, and it certainly seemed that the album that she spent two years recording would not be the project that would be a flat-out success -- that prolonged gestation for a pop album nearly guarantees trouble of some kind. Amazingly, that long-to-materialize album turns out to be shockingly good -- and not just according to a grading curve for actors-turned-singers. After all, Paris was never an actress to begin with; she was a media creation who peddled the same image to a number of different formats, and it just so happens that her act is perfectly suited for bubblegum pop. Of course, it helps that she has a crack team of professionals supporting her on Paris, chief among them songwriter Kara DioGuardi and producer/co-writer Scott Storch, who is name-dropped on the first song, "Turn It Up," and leaves a heavy imprint on the rest of the record, producing just over half of it and serving as one of the executive producers along with Tom Whalley and Paris herself. They come up with a sound thats casually modern and retro with enough heft in its rhythms to sound good at clubs, yet its designed to be heard outdoors on the sunniest day of the summer. This is exceedingly light music, as sweet and bubbly as a wine spritzer, yet it isnt so frothy that it floats away. Like the best lightweight pop, Paris retains its sense of fun through repeated listens, long past the point that the novelty of Paris Hilton releasing a good album has worn off. Make no mistake, Paris is a very good pop album, at times deliberately reminiscent of Blondie, Madonna, and Gwen Stefani, yet having its own distinct character -- namely, Paris persona, which is shamelessly shallow and devoid of any depth. Where that might be irritating within a movie or within pop culture at large, when placed in a shiny, hooky dance-pop album it works splendidly, particularly because the songs are strong and Storch and company know how to keep things light -- and everybody involved knows that its fun to play around with Paris image, no matter if its her murmuring "thats hot" at the beginning of the record or covering Rod Stewarts "Do Ya Think Im Sexy," or writing about her feud with Nicole Ritchie on the delightful "Jealousy." But for as much as Paris is about Paris, she doesnt necessarily stand out here; her voice -- which is almost certainly auto-tuned and tweaked by a computer, yet its nevertheless appealing, more so than Britney Spears often awkward squawk -- may blend into the production, yet that actually helps the recordings since it emphasizes the melodies above everything else. And there are some irresistible melodies here: the breezy "Stars Are Blind," the gilded rush of "I Want You" driven by a "Grease" sample to be continued...

あのスーパー・セレブがついに歌手デビュー!　先行カット“Stars Are Blind”のポップなレゲエ・ナンバーをはじめ、収録曲の大半をスコット・ストーチがプロデュースしているほか、ジェイダキスやファット・ジョーも駆けつけた豪華な一枚に仕上がっています。流石はティーンの頃から世界中のクラブで遊んできた姫だけに、ダンス欲を刺激する楽曲がズラリ。声量弱めな歌声も、聴けば聴くほどクセになる。私は断固支持します!
bounce (C)山西 絵美