Questionnaires CDs
Questionnaires
"With their 'smooth as silk' sound drawing from classic pop and jazz, The Questionnaires are a band that both quenches your thirst for stimulating grooves under scintillating vocals while leaving you begging for more. Jane Wade and Steve Hall have done what few others can. They've made music that is both universal and timeless in its appeal.This is one great band."
(Dean Sciarra - ItsAboutMusic.com)
Features the vocals of Jane Wade who starred as Mum in the KFC "Slaphead" advert on National British TV! Intelligent and thought-provoking adult contempory and alternative compositions with strong jazz-resembling vocals and virtuoso guitar. This is a release you will not grow weary of.
Blowing your own trumpet is uncool, and we find it difficult. But that's OK, because others are doing it for us off their own bat. As a couple of our growing band of MP3.COM fans put it ... "some of the best music I've heard in years" ... "great songs, exquisitely performed, phenomenal production" ... "I'm sorry about this, really, but this band are just plain pro good, no doubts."
All we want to say is that we float somewhere between adult alternative and adult contemporary, we've just started to export from the UK to the USA and Europe, the people buying our album are putting it at the top of their collections, and we're just approaching the stage where we have enough sales to make another one. Help us beat the corporations.
Here are some more extracts from reviews:
1. "... oh, that VOICE" Lord Litter, Europe's most influential DJ.
2. "Some of the most perfectly executed, elegantly produced music I have ever heard"
Gods Of Music, USA.
3. "... a dark voice that was last heard on the better Annie Lennox albums ... very seldom are we served with soul-flavoured pop in this magnificent way ..."
Persona Non Grata, Germany.
4. "The Questionnaires are a truly independent band ... strong jazz-resembling vocals and virtuoso guitar ... this is a release you will not grow weary of, the lyrics are intelligent and thought-provoking ... a record worthy of a listen" A-rated alongside Vienna Teng, The Best Female Musicians, USA.
5. "Unlike the majority of young bands who are exercising their independence and going the cottage industry route (one that W&H thoroughly approve of), THE QUESTIONNAIRES are actually a much-respected duo from Newcastle-upon-Tyne boasting impressive track records. Guitarist/ multi-istrumentalist Steve Hall once played with ex-Animal Hilton Valentine's Roxoff during the 1970s and also played with the Eastside Torpedoes, while vocalist Jane Wade once featured in The Posh Monkeys and has considerable theatre experience in theatre work having previously undertaken one-woman shows about Alma Cogan and Lotte Lenya respectively. So it's no surprise that their talents combine effectively in The Questionnaires, and in "Arctic Circles" they have forged an enjoyable and soulful pop album with hooks aplenty and Jane's terrific, sophisticated voice to the fore.
"Forty Years Of Peace" opens with the strident refrain "forty years of peace, 30 million dead!" that you'd probably associate with Crass or The Exploited, but the God-moves-mysteriously-while-humans-suffer message and the nicely clipped guitar solo soon get you onside and most of what follows works well, with the urban blues of "East End West End", the experience-fuelled "Hanging Onto Anything That Moves" and "Building The Pyramids" all maintaining the sophisticated vibe and gritty lyricism these two excel at.
If pushed, though, this writer would choose "Walking Wounded", "I'm Not Strong Enough" and the closing "It Always Rains On Saturday" as the pick of the crop. "Walking Wounded" (not to be confused with Everything But The Girl) has a tricky, noir-ish vibe, with congas and stabs of organ and finds Wade relating a wholly credible singles bar tale ("Anyone who's anybody drinking long-necked beer"); "I'm Not Strong Enough" introduces a Portishead-y feel with nice, John Barry-esque baritone guitar and the very best is reserved for last with "It Always Rains On Saturday", which has a resigned, morning after vibe full of poignancy, sumptuous sax, plucked strings and Jane's most gorgeous dark brown vocal. The Questionnaires are certainly a classy, urbane act with a neat line in cool, sophisto-pop and there should always be a place for that."
Tim Peacock - Whisperinandhollerin, UK.
6. "With a shared history that dates back 25 years, Singer Jane Wade and guitarist Steve Hall have certainly been around a bit. Yet their recorded output - for one reason and another - remains sparse to say the least. 'Arctic Circles' makes one wonder why for it is a fully-formed album of the kind you would expect from shared experiences in punk, blues, jazz and soul. Blessed with the songwriting skills and attention to detail of Steely Dan or Prefab Sprout the album presents a convincing case for modern rock concerns. The strong political message in the lyrics of 'Forty Years Of Peace' and 'Building The Pyramids' never threatens to outweigh the addictive qualities of the melodies. Wade has a wondrous vocal range but she never loses track of the song with unnecessary ad-libbing and even when she is in full flight as on the brilliant 'Madmen Do The Business' it adds genuine raw emotion. At a time when most artists are at the twilight of their careers, The Questionnaires demonstrate that sometimes there is no substitute for experience."
Jonathan Leonard - Leonard's Lair, UK.
7. "The Questionnaires .... a British band from the north of England, their influences are at times both obvious and subtle. From the first track, you can tell that they are a band with a high pedigree, the musicianship is excellent, the songs in general are well-crafted and well thought through.
They call their song "I'm Not Strong Enough" the flagship song from their album, Arctic Circles. It's a haunting song, skilfully composed, but I found myself waiting for the build and hook which, arrived a little late on for me. That aside, when it arrived it blasted through its message in clear, unmistakable tones. A clever song, but not in my opinion the strongest by any means. "Ghosts In Your Eyes" on the other hand is a catchy little pop tune with a lot of 'oomph'! I could hear the ghosts in this song well after it had finished playing, which for me is the sign of a great tune. The high point for me in this song was the middle 8/Bridge, where the pure un-influenced voice of the vocalist rings out. It's a slick production that must have taken an age to put together, but the end result was worth it.
"Madmen Do The Business" is a Jazz/Funk fusion, which is both interesting and pleasing to the ear. Now, most people who have had a review from me on this site know that I'm a lyric man first and foremost. This song has some interesting social/political sabre ratting in it, disguised around an almost Style Council vibe. Weller-esq but that works for me! Oh, and the end of the song does live up to their own advertisement of it. I really enjoyed 'Forty Years Of Peace' there's good anti-war stuff here, done without the 'steel raining down/another baby dead' type lyrics that you might find elsewhere. It's very topical, very true to itself and if you listen to nothing else from them, listen to this one and vote it up the charts. Trust me - play it!
Overall, The Questionnaires are both good musicians and gifted songsmiths. You should definitely give them a listen, especially to the songs listed above. The Questionnaires are a cut above the rest and if they're playing in my neck of the woods, I'd make time to see them live, and THAT my friends, is the most important feeling any band should leave you with. Phooarr!"
Squib
Besonic, UK.
Location
Newcastle Upon Tyne - England.
Similar Artists
Prefab Sprout, Peter Gabriel, Steely Dan, Alison Moyet, Beautiful South, Annie Lennox.