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STEFY - The Orange Album - IGN

  • ️Chris Carle
  • ️Thu May 17 2012

Eighties sensibility reborn into blissful now-pop.

Anyone who has seen John Tucker Must Die or owns the soundtrack is already quite aware of the pop band Stefy, and their precocious lead singer Stefy Rae. For everyone else, this is a wakeup call: Stefy is going to be playing everywhere soon. A lot. Like, a lot! Radio, MTV, MTV2, CD USA, Sirius, wherever. Stefy is a band of the moment: perfectly poised to bring the worlds of Eighties nostalgia and new millennium glam together. Lucky for you, this slick blend of '80s throwback and Gwen Stefani-infused hooks goes down smooth with no bitter aftertaste.
Like a crazy pop mash-up of Cyndi Lauper and the aforementioned Stefani, Stefy is all about scads of synth, soaring, lovelorn vocals and California attitude. Like every good Eighties band, this record has the required bouncy, dancy, radio-friendly fare… coupled with catchy, near-sad balladic radio-friendly fare. There is hardly a track on the CD that couldn't be a single, much like the memorable Madonna and Lauper albums of that decade.

Thankfully, the vocals are right out front; no socialite pop-trance here. Stefy Rae can sing, her band can play, and someone sure can write melodies! The lyrics are pure teenage desperation, but that isn't a fault… in fact, it would be strange to sing about anything else on a record like this.

Although the entire record is solid, the standout tracks are right up front. "Chelsea," an ode to jealousy, begins with Eurhythmics-style synth before launching into a snarling, almost-tough chorus. It's a great blend of playful and painful, and leads perfectly into the more upbeat boy-crazy jingle, "Hey School Boy," an eyelash-batting tart of pop-teasery.

The first ballad on the record is "Orange County," a cheesy but (damn you, Stefy!) catchy cautionary tale of teen pregnancy in the O.C., complete with ridiculously dating references: "We've still got our MTV/ Jay-Z and Gwen Stefani/ TiVo for My Sweet Sixteen/ And pre-paid AT&T/ The things we think that we need/ For our American Dream/ We're so perfectly… Orange County." Sounds ridiculous, right? Try not singing along.

The rest of the record oscillates between great synth fare ("Cover Up"), heartfelt ballads (The excellent "Lucky Girl," "Nothing Really") and even a rock nod ("Orange Crush"). At eleven tracks, it never outlasts its welcome. If you are looking for a shiny pop record with a lot more to offer than current celeb-turned-singer fare, Stefy is the girl (and band) for you.

Definitely Download
1. "Chelsea"
2. "Hey School Boy"
3. "Lucky Girl"

In This Article

IGN Review

STEFY - <I>The Orange Album</i>

Official IGN Review