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.::. City Offline: 'Review: Dido - Safe Trip Home'
Published November 2008

Every now and then an artist returns after a longer hiatus with new material that leaves you wondering why they ever were remotely successful in the first place. Dido was always considered dull as dishwater, but still had that slightly left-field electronic tingle to her sound and several massive hits up her sleeve. On her first studio effort in more than five years, the title is taken literally and Dido insists on playing it safe to a ridiculous degree.

Safe Trip Home does not only lack any obvious hits, it just seems to insist on being bland. ”If I don’t believe in love, nothing is safe for me” she sings, sounding like she’s thinking about what she’s having for tea rather than actually engaging with the words. Producer John Brion has gone for a typical uninspiring coffee-shop sound, and when he does try to liven things up the result is almost unbearable. Grafton Street has a recorder solo bad enough to make you think you’re living next to a primary school, and nine-minute long closer Northern Skies never seems to plod to a stop. Safe Trip Home is not just disappointing, it leaves you wondering if Dido’s actually taking the piss.

2/5

Released: November 17 2008
Label: RCA Label Group UK

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