Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

Lady Sovereign

9 To 5

Label: Island Release Date: 08/08/2005

9100
thommo by Thomas Blatchford August 4th, 2005

Get ready for the Ess Ohh VEE!! Or rather, get ready to be slightly disappointed. Because whilst ‘9 to 5’ isn’t bad, per se, it’s hardly of the standard you’d expect from Lady Sovereign, the two-step tyke who brought you the burly brilliance of ‘Random’, ‘Ch-Ching’ et al. She seems to be trying to make a 21st century version of The Specials’ ‘Rat Race’ for the McFlurry generation, all lilting offbeat organ stabs and placid horn section, with her whining about the music biz over the top. Instead, it comes across like UB40 trying to cover Basement Jaxx (badly) and with lines like “I’m getting pissed like Pampers” it’s hardly her greatest lyrical performance either. There’s also a “Na na na na etc.” melodic outro too…oh dear. Sort it aaaht!!

However, she is completely redeemed by B-side ‘Tango’, where she does what she does best lyrically – i.e. slag people off – and aims it at girls who wear too much fake tan. “The colour of your bathwater? ORANGE!!” she chants over a militant…uh, tango rhythm, the sort of thing you’d feel threatened by if you weren’t distractedly laughing so hard. “You tried to be Christina so you died your hair black / But really you look like the Vicar of Dibley…on crack.” Normal service is resumed, and hurrah for that.

  • 7
    Thomas Blatchford's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Drowned in Sound's Albums of the Year 2025


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing



Left-arrow

Lethal Bizzle

Uh Oh! (I'm Back)

Mobback
9101

Field Music

Field Music

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Drowned in Sound's Albums of the Year 2025

  • 106149
  • news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145

    news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143
  • news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141

    news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139
  • Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138

    Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137
  • Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
MORE


    Interview


    "I wouldn't want to go on tour just playing old...

  • 95814
  • In Depth


    Fade to black: DiS meets The Horrors

  • 48012

    news


    Drowned in Sound's Albums of the Year 2025

  • 106149
  • feature


    No Surprises? 15 Classic Albums of 15 Years Ago

  • 82815

    Playlist


    Our Favourite Tracks of Q1 2015

  • 99412
  • feature


    Yeah Yeah Yeahs answer your questions

  • 25930

    Albums of the Year


    Drowned in Sound's 16 Favourite Albums of 2016

  • 104334
  • feature


    DiS questions Björk about Volta and beyond

  • 95741
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND