No Angel (Dido)

EN “No Angel” is the debut studio album by English singer/songwriter Dido. Originally released on June 1, 1999 in the United States, the album achieved huge acclaim when it was released worldwide in February 2001. I can say that this was one of the albums that has grown with me, as I vividly remember listening to it with my sister when I was younger, and my standard copy of the CD is a relic from that time, so it's already one of the oldest items in my collection.

For the promotion of the album, which lasted about 2 years, five singles were released: "Here with Me", "Don't Think of Me", "Thank You", "Hunter" and "All You Want". Interestingly, the album begins with the first single, "Here With Me", which conveys a message of dependence on someone: "I can't leave this bed/Risk forgetting all that's been" showing the naked truth that sometimes we have a dependency in another person, living in their shadow and leaving ourself aside. In turn, "Don't Think of Me", the second single from the album, which is dedicated to a companion who decided to leave her for another woman and, despite wishing him all the best, confesses that he learned that the new lover betrayed him with her best friend, ending up questioning him about how he feels, given that that's what she was left feeling. The third single, “Thank You”, is probably my favorite track from the project and I vividly remember seeing the video, made by the iconic Dave Meyers, when I was little. The track ended up gaining huge recognition also for the sample used by Eminem in the track “Stan”, but that's not only the reason why the song has its value, having been written in a moment of depression for the artist, talking about this particular theme, and about how she lost her home. “Hunter” was selected as the fourth single and in it Dido ends up putting her feet on the ground, leaving the pedestal where her boyfriend placed her “The crown you've placed upon my head feels too heavy now”, stating that she wants to be reborn and rediscover the emotions of life for itself. Finally the fifth and final single, "All You Want", is a kind of farewell to her lover who is leaving her, reminding him that everything he needs is right there, that she is effectively what he needs but that she doesn't want him back, “And you and your sin can leave the way you just came in/Send my regards to her”.

Folk-pop is the core style of the project, with occasional synths added to the mix to disguise the use of convenient rhymes and emphasize the creased depression of the content. With Dido's vocals deliberately cloudy and nasal, the roller coaster of words becomes easier to digest. At times, Dido sounds like a calmer version of Sarah McLachlan, and undoubtedly occupies her place during the Sarah’s break.

Although there isn't much evolution between the multiple songs, “No Angel” turns out to be cohesive and conveys a message, from someone who was betrayed and left to struggle with the darkest feelings, taking refuge in sarcasm. Thus, a passive/aggressive protagonist emerges, sharing her messages through odes to pain and hurt to someone who is effectively neither listening nor wanting to know. For many this is just a dull album that can be heard as background music, but for me it is very special and takes me to a very specific moment in my life. It may not be the perfect album, but it allowed Dido to show herself to the world and create a career that continues to this day.

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