Princess Superstar
Issue #25
My Machine (Corrupt Conglomerate/!K7)
By Amber Drea
Published: September 1st, 2005 | 4:45pm
Concetta Kirschner dons yet another slew of personas on her fifth full-length release, My Machine, a concept album about manufactured celebrity and media saturation most likely inspired by the recent trend of Simpsons, Duffs, and Olsens. This sci-fi satire tells the tale of "The Superstar," who, in the year 2080, creates 10,000 clones of herself and sends them out to take over the jobs of every actor, singer, and reality show contestant in the world.
Incorporating electro, techno, disco, funk, and rock, My Machine is like the soundtrack for a rap opera. Concept aside, Princess Superstar, with help from producers including Arthur Baker, Junior Sanchez, and Armand Van Helden, has produced a collection of dance club hits and party anthems. Employing her signature speedy spitting skills, she criticizes everything from materialism ("Famous") and vanity ("Perfect") to cigarette addiction ("Quitting Smoking Song") and hedonism ("Sex, Drugs & Drugs"). The lyrics of the title track ask what you would be if you could be anything: "What about Osama / just to see what it feels like? / 'Cause we all love to live in drama / ... Or could you just be alright?" The Linda Perry-esque "The Happy" rounds out the album's pop appeal.
At 25 tracks, Princess Superstar's most artistically accomplished effort could have been tightened a bit more. The expository monologues are unnecessarily long-winded, and many of the songs repeat the same information. But her ability to develop a complete story through such an innovative structure is impressive, and
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Princess Superstar's official Web site
Princess Superstar's Myspace page
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