| From Waterfront Week This Farber gal has The Goods. Pure Pop For Now People is her game, as if anyone remembers the craft of Melodic Pop. They're out there, all right, slugging away at their Craft in a world where the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears make the cover of Rolling Stone (!!!) performers such as Bill Lloyd, Wile Nile, W'burg expat Amy Rigby, Aimee Mann, KIm Richey, George Usher and on a good day, The High Llamas. They still value thoughtful, terse melodies (learned by careful study of the Old Masters : Lennon/McCartney, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Jagger/ Richards, Burt Bacharach, Holland Dozier/ Holland, early Blondie, Squeeze et al), chiming guitars, snapping drums and production values that teleport you inside the mood of the song. Add to that list Ms Bibi Farber. She shares with the aforementioned those Fine Qualities that make you, after you hear a song, get up and play it again... and again! With an earnest voice that has a wee rasp descended from the rougher side of Debbie Harry and the softer side of Joan Jett, songs that sound like she grew up listening to Paul Revere and The Raiders and 60's Motown and a sharp, committed band that features ex-Television guitarist Richard LLoyd, Firepop is the best Rock and Roll pop song project since Amy Rigby's Middlescence and Kim Richy's Glimmer. Farber sings with a palpable sense of urgency, like she's GOT to get a hold of her lover and she's down to her last quarter, like on her "Disconnected". The album opener "Caroline's Waiting" is what Phil Specter had in mind when he coined his approach to his music "little symphonies for the kids". It's dense, catchy as anything on The Who Sell Out or those Rhino Records Pop anthologies. "Seeds of Anger" features Farber's chorus of voices scale the heavens while Lloyd's volatile, scorched- earth guitar tears at your insides. Shed a quiet tear with "17 After 3" a mini-opera of longing that Billy Joel could not equal, but maybe, just maybe, mind you - John Lennon ("If I fall asleep / can I take you with me?") could. "That Girl Again" has the randy brass-in-pocket audacity of Nancy Sinatra and Chrissy Hynde. Throughout there's an invigorating balance of electric and acoustic, of beguiling melody and crunchy, passionate rock and roll. I almost thought there was a conspiracy against this kind of stuff, it was getting so rare. If you pin me to a rating: Four stars, two thumbs way, way up. - Mark Keresman |
| From Shake It Up (http://powerpop.org/shakeitup/)
Finding something that rocks as hard as Firepop while still retaining its melodic focus would be quite a feat indeed. Farber has it down to an art. There's a tougher sound throughout much of Firepop that comes close to all-to-familiar territory, but manages to steer clear by way of solid melodies and arrangements. The guitar work of producer Richard Lloyd doesn't hurt either (yes, THAT Richard Lloyd). All of these ingredients come to the fore right from the start with Caroline's Waiting, the most memorable track here. With Lloyd offering his trademark explosive solos throughout Firepop, Farber's songs definitely earn the title of "firepop". The guitars are quite hard throughout, but never for the mere sake of being "hard". Farber would much rather use them to convey the passion and emotion so prevalent on tracks like One Thing, Swallow A Dream, and the blues-tinged That Girl Again. To showcase the softer side of her songs, she delivers the wonderful closing piano ballad 17 After 3. Here, Jane Scarpontoni plays some fine cello as she does on the CD's sole cover Salta Diamenter - a song by a Swedish band called Lolita Pop. Bibi Farber has instantly placed herself within the company of rock and roll's more direct and, again, passionate practitioners. I, for one, can't wait to hear more. Claudio Sossi |
| From Amplifier Oh Yeah this is good stuff. Bibi Farber, with the assistance of ace guitarist/ producer Richard Lloyd (yes, that Richard Lloyd) has crafted a remarkable album of tuneful, dynamic rockin' pop. Farber's songs and voice are far superior to her female peers who shall remain nameless, and with all due respect to Liz Phair (who I love) I must shout out that Bibi is the real deal! Remarkable melodies, straight ahead production, and yes the brilliant guitar work of Richard Lloyd makes songs such as "Carolines Waiting", "October Again", and "Disconnected" resound over and over again in your head. With Firepop, Bibi has fashioned an amazing pop record. - John Holcomb |
| From Blank Pages I'm a guy. NY singer songwriter is a hottie. Definitely a plus in my book (could explain my inexplicable enjoyment of Amy Grant and Shania Twain) Bibi is more than a pretty face. She delivers the goods, (no overt sexual pun intended) on her 11 song debut. "Firepop" is a rocking pop record. Bibi has assembled some crack players (Richard Lloyd, Dennis Diken) to add a real gutsy sound to her songs. She's not afriad to turn it up and rock hard (once again no overt sexual pun intended) but her songs never lose the overall sense of melody and direction. She also pays homage to 80's Swedish pop with a cover of Lolita Pop's "Salta Diamanter", even sung in Swedish. And of course, any record that has the good sense to include Richard Lloyd's tasty guitar chops is a winner in my book. Fine debut from an artist I am looking forward to seeing more from in the future. (Double entendre intended) - Brad Beard |
| From a customer, posted on Amazon.com Average Customer Review: olcsvary@erols.com from usa , May 9, 1999 The best money I spent in '98 Just when I thought it was the early 70s all over again, with the Jewels and MacLachans and their ilk taking over the airwaves, along comes a woman who's not afraid to turn it up and let it rip! Sure, the supporting cast is great (Richard Lloyd produced and contributes several fine solos ), but what'll keep you coming back again and again is Bibi's songs. The writing's so vivid, you'll feel you know the characters, and it's all delivered in a pure, clear and unaffected voice. Take a chance a buy it - you won't be sorry. |
| From the The Notlame Website Now, I have to be candid. I'm not a big fan of female fronted bands or artist driven projects. It's a personal thing it's not right or wrong. Neither here, nor there. But Bibi floats this pop plane of Not Lame skyward. Featuring the brilliant guitar work of Television guitarist Richard Lloyd (Matthew Sweet's guitarist, too) and his unobtrusive, clear production, Farber glows her material w/ "bright, jangly out of the garage roots pop" (Manhattan Mirror). While it's tempting to name artists like "Julianna Hatfield w/ a clue" or "Sam Phillips less weird" or Julie Miller (all represent female artists I DO like, by the way), Farber is head and heels above those artists in this pseudo-scribe's opinion. This record lives stronger w/each listen and now I'm up to 5, which w/this job is a lot. Firepop is apt, too. It has verve and balls (sic), but is soft and sweet as each song showcases a good light on what rocking power pop could sound like on the radio - and (this is not a slag, either) most of these songs sound like singles for radio if they were a bit more enlightened and didn't need a major in tow to show 'em a clue. Outstanding. Grade: Big A. |
| Arts Weekly, September 9th Produced by Richard LLoyd (Television, Matthew Sweet), this aptly titled disc featuring a pure-pop dream team supporting cast (Lloyd, Dennis Diken of The Smithreens, Ira Elliot of Nada Surf, cellist Jane Scarpontoni of The Indigo Girls and Lounge Lizards, Royston Langdon of Spacehog) is abound with red-hot harmonies, sizzling guitar hooks and unforgettable melodies. - Chris Uhl |
| Pulse Magazine This New York singer/songwriter's self released debut gets an added jolt from the snappy guitar outbursts of Television's Richard Lloyd, who also produced. Despite the prominence of Lloyd's contributions and the shakiness of the rhythm tracks - it's Farber's attractive if uncertain voice and sturdy pop/rock tunes like "Caroline's Waiting", "Swallow a Dream" and "October Again" that are the source of Firepop's unpretentious appeal. Three stars. Scott Schinder |
| From 24 Timmar, Swedish Internet MagazineBR> Ex Orebro-chick Bibi Farber was just here on a visit from her hometown of New York. In her bags she packed her new CD Firepop. That's just what it is - burning pop with a royal dose of rock & roll. You can hear that Bibi loves what she's doing. This passion for her music combined with the contribution of old New York scene legends like Richard Lloyd, Peter Stuart and Ira Elliot, just can't fail. Peter serves up some wicked bass lines a la John Entwistle and Richard's guitar solos are fun even if you're not really into that sort of thing. Bibi's voice floats like an unredeemed spirit over a musical mixture boiling up like a hot New York afternoon. Despite the big city vibe, Bibi gives a nod to her Orebro past in the track Salta Diamanter written by her old friends in Lolita Pop. This is the only song she sings in Swedish. Tobba Anderson |