When did we stop taking Natalie McIntyre seriously? Was it when she started believing that Macy Gray had more impact as a pantomime dame than a soulful maverick? As a former scriptwriter and student at LA's USC Film School, Natalie knew the potency of well-played out fiction just look at the taut vignette of "I've Committed Murder" but somewhere along the line she slipped into the Mad Macy routine full time. And how long can you put with a schtick that favours wilful eccentricity over true talent? Judging by record sales, not long.
It wasn't always this way. Listening back to the four songs included here from her glorious debut, "On How Life Is", you're struck by how sincere Macy Gray was back then. "Still" and "I Try", both inspired by a genuine relationship trauma, are heartfelt and affecting (helped by stadium-sized choruses too, of course). Even "Do Something" is a straightforward note-to-self that never feels forced or tainted by cabaret excesses. When Natalie admitted to being a pathological liar in interviews of the time, it all seemed to tie in nicely with the idea of her being an author and confessor.
By the time second album "The Id" hit us, Macy had already become Mad. Interviews had become increasingly more outlandish and her behaviour ever more unpredictable. She left audiences waiting hours for shows, messed up a rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" at a hometown football game, and gleefully related stories of wetting herself at nightclubs. So rather than being another globe-straddling hit, the beautiful "Sweet Baby" was a blip, the public clearly unable to put any emotional trust in what had become a freak show.
"The Id" is actually a clever and entertaining album, one that toys with music hall and psychedelia while attempting to push the boundaries of mainstream soul. But shorn of emotional ballast, it quickly becomes a technicolour overdose, too much nutty nutmeg wackiness and not enough stark honesty. "Hey Young World" glides straight out of the musical "Annie", while "Sexual Revolution" and "Nutty Nutmeg Fantasy" are fun, but trite somehow.
On album three, Natalie attempted to regain some lost ground by marrying the vivacious party spirit of "The Id" with some of the sincerity of her debut. "When I See You" is light and likeable (and obviously a huge fan of Prince's "Raspberry Beret"). But "She Ain't Right For You" could be a Robbie Williams b-side, played straight yet without the sting of heartbreak that made "Still" so spectacular. "It Ain't The Money", meanwhile, might as well be a Pharoahe Monche track, with Macy on guest backing vocals.
So a lot rests on new single, "Love Is Gonna Get Ya". Macy sounds small, somehow, more like Natalie stepping out from behind that caricature. "I can never get it right and I don't know where to go," she sings, bemoaning her poor luck in love, but she could easily be warbling about her career. Whether this strangely downbeat semi-disco tune that sounds more suited to a good late night weep rather than a throbbing dancefloor is the answer is unclear, but it has a charm that Macy's been lacking of late.
Five non-album tracks complete the album, strangely, as if they're not quite confident enough in Macy's own material. Black Eyed Peas' "Request Line" is sharp and infectious, but Fatboy Slim's "Demons" and various remixes by the likes of Gangstarr feel like filler. If, as is the case with so many greatest hits comps, this is a contractual obligation coming before a big fall (or a drop), then it's a deeply unsatisfying way to go. Let's hope Natalie sees off Mad Macy sometime soon.
