Paloma Faith: Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful (Single)
by Lauren John. Published December 12, 2009.
Paloma Faith has, in a short space of time, become something of a music sensation! Her debut album charted at Number 9, and she has had an incredible year of TV and festival appearances. Now she is hoping to finish off 2009 in style with the successful release of her next single, ‘Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful’.
This is a track that oozes class and style, and has some quite charming instrumentation. There are soft drum beats, fused with the odd burst of atmospheric guitars, string arrangements, and a live orchestral feel which delves into the Soul genre. All this is coupled together with interesting and emotive lyrical phrasing, and Paloma’s distinctive, slightly Lily Allen-esque vocal style. The unique melodies of this song are played out over an interesting storyboard in the video (which you can view above).
In the video, Paloma plays the part of a classy stage singer, telling the tale of the two sides of showbiz and fame. There are scenes that show her happy and putting on a show for the public, and these alternate with a sadder/darker ‘reality’. I get a strong sense of unhappiness and loneliness, and that in the story, Paloma is questioning whether an audience just wants Glamour and Glitz, or whether they would accept the real person or the ‘star’. It’s quite theatrical, yet has an edge to it that keeps it real, and when the mask slips, tears fall towards the end – a moving moment. Maybe some people might find the video a little too ‘over-staged’ but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it goes well with the style of the song.
Paloma Faith isn’t an artist I’d paid much attention to before, but her songs and videos have a certain charm, and I enjoyed picking out the different styles in the instrumentation and vocal tones. The Truth or Something Beautiful? Maybe Paloma Faith is both?
‘The Truth Or Something Beautiful is released on December 21st. For more information on Paloma and her 2010 tour visit
