Track Listing

1. Intro / Open
2. Dance
3. Never Felt Like This Before
4. Mr Dawg
5. Heart Made Me A Fool
6. You
7. Don't Know What To Say
8. Mr Weatherman
9. Butterflies
10. Nasty Boy
11. Radio
12. Now You're Gone

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77576 in Music
• Released on: 2004-07-19
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's been some time since the demise of All Saints, yet the legacy of their brief career has lived on thanks to the celebrity profile of the Appleton sisters and more importantly, the timeless songwriting of Shaznay Lewis. Open is everything one might expect from a former All Saint--catchy, sassy, funky and just that little bit different.

Lead single "Never Felt Like This" is pleasant radio-friendly adult pop with a nice melody and gentle accompaniment but it's far safer than the rest of the album. For the most part Open is incredibly funky, be it in a soulful way on "Dance", "Don't Know What to Say" or "Mr Weatherman", where Lewis's versatille voice flips between sweet vibratos and smoky whispers, or on body-moving dancehall such as "Mr Dawg" or "Now You're Gone", the latter especially exuding all the charm of Susan Cadogan.

Open takes many risks for a pop album but at no point sounds gimmicky. It uses dancehall, which is again popular, and it uses electro on "Radio" but neither style is blatantly used to stay on a bandwagon. Lewis and her producers inject enough imagination to make it fresh and exciting whilst retaining a high level of accessibility--it's everything that was hoped for from Shaznay Lewis's debut album.--Georgina Collins

Album Description
Shaznay Lewis, the creative force behind All Saints, who had massive hit singles including "Black Coffee", "Never Ever" and "Pure Shores", is back with her debut solo album Open. Including the storming single "Never Felt Like This Before", Open features collaborations with the hippest-on-the-block Basement Jaxx and Biz Markie. Shaznay is back on pop's A-List.

CD Description
This is the debut album from Shaznay Lewis, former member and chief songwriter of the popular nineties all girl group, All Saints. 'Open' sees Lewis flex her writing skills once again, creating a perfect mix of R'n'B, pop, and dance, whilst collaborating with the likes of Primal Scream, Basement Jaxx and the legendary US rapper Biz Markie.

Customer Reviews

Shaznay Is Open
During the influx of girl bands, after many record industry heads dismissed them as unprofitable until a phenomenon called the Spice Girls happened, All Saints were already an established band with something else to offer. While the Spice Girls successfully merged camp with pop in a delicious parcel, the All Saints took a more chill and soulful approach to their songs. Their songs struck a chord with "I Know Where It's At" and the UK number one single "Never Ever," which was penned by the mastermind of the group, Shaznay Lewis.
After the release of the critically acclaimed Saints & Sinners, All Saints split up. Former band mate Melanie Blatt released two singles to mediocre success and the Met bar shenanigans didn't help the Appleton sisters to deliver a credible album; instead they created the directionless and hitless Everything's Eventual.
Now Shaznay Lewis is the last to venture into the world of solo with Open. It comes as no surprise that the songwriter is simple in structure, yet effective, and that the hits come easy for the person who basically made All Saints the profound pop band that it was. With songs like the foot-tapping "Dance" and the youthful prance of "Butterflies," Lewis is bound to reign as the queen of mature pop. The lead single - "I Never Felt Like This Before" - is a gorgeous intricate ballad that captures accurate sentiment.
Open also is strong on reggae influences, which appear on the sun-baked "Now You're Gone" and the forever-catchy "Nasty Boy."
Shaznay also meanders into electronic awe on "Radio" and the wanderlust ballad "You."
Other tracks include the swaying honorable mention to big band "Heart Made Me a Fool" and the rock-tinted "Mr. Weatherman."
Like most complete mature pop albums, Open delivers sophistication with a well-balanced mixture of musical styles and paces. Shaznay Lewis is the only survivor of the All Saints phenomenon.

Excellent
Everyone's always known Shaznay as the talent and driving force behind All Saints, so Open, even before the first listen, has so much to live up to. Shaznay draws diversely on jazz, reggae, pop and funk, fusing together in my favourite track Heart Made Me A Fool, plus the breathless On The Radio and Butterflies. But she takes it down a notch with the beautifully understated first single Never Felt Like This Before, and the gorgeous, harmony-laden You.
The album has its let-downs with the rather weak Mr Weatherman, and the repetitive Don't Know What To Say (on the subject of writer's block, which she obviously wasn't over by that stage) but even these can be enjoyed.
But overall, as expected, a class album.

Best Track: Heart Made Me A Fool, You
Worst Track: Mr Weatherman

Shaznay is back!
I never liked All Saints, but when Shaznay's debut came out I rushed to buy a copy. I wasn't let down by her amazing vocals and extreme talent, with any luck , she'll be able to keep her good standards up for the next three or four years. Overrall , I love it!
Best Tracks : Butterflies, Nasty Boy, Heart Made Me A Fool
Worst Track : Mr Weatherman