Customer Reviews:
 We waited and waited and then.... November 21, 2008
Morten Lokkegaard (Sao Paulo Brazil)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Never having been a big fan personally of down tempo melodic female artists sitting on a stool with long hair and a guitar singing about lost love and other sadness I was knocked off my feet with Dido's appearance.
I first heard of in Stan by Eminem where her "Thank You" was a part ... what a melodic almost godly voice ... after that I was hooked and loved both her two previous albums to an extend I still frequently listen to them on my Ipod on the plane or in the car. Then years of waiting followed and for the first time in a long time I visited the music stores in London and Copenhagen to check if the new album was out...
Now it is finally out and I feel a slightly flat feeling. Hard to sum the experience so far up other than it is ok but leaves a feeling of being a non-event. Her voice is still beautiful but the tunes are forgettable mostly and too low beat even by Dido standards. Where the previous material cleverly mixed the slow passages with slightly more upbeat ones it seems in this album that this variation has been left out. The sound is pleasant alright but a bit stale for lack of a better word.
I acknowledge my long waiting and high expectations might have a strong effect on my disappointment and I thus opt to rate the album with 3 Stars. I see far too many reviewers tempted to make their point stronger by excessive use of 1 and 5 Stars.. In my mind very few movies, books or music albums deserve either.
All other said it is still pleasant listening and had it been a debut album by another artist it would be very decent. No single title stands out and it is probably best listened to in its entirety before sleep. No need to send out video's and singles for sure.
For an avid Dido listener this is a far cry from meeting the very high standards she herself set in album 1 and 2.
 Another precious gift November 20, 2008
Mlle Delmas (Brest, France)
Dido's songs from her past two albums have followed me for almost 10 years now. I think I know them all by heart, and I feel like they've become some sort of friends to whom I can turn to in every situation. When I travel, when I'm sad, when I'm in a good mood, when I drive. I don't have a particular kind of music I listen to all the time, but I "have" have a few artists who deeply touch me with both their music and their lyrics.
Needless to say, I had huge expectations for that third album. I must say, 'Safe Trip Home' fullfills every single one of them.
It is a great pleasure to listen again to her sweet, light voice, and her adorable British accent. But it actually goes beyond that. I have found the singer I always liked, but there is definitely something new in this album. More rythm maybe, more emotions. But it remains quite hard to identify. Exactly as it is hard to identify why her music is so enjoyable. Some of the songs in this album are just pure wonders. Like "Us 2 little little gods" or "The things we normally do'. Some are pure Dido material, like 'Look no further'. She put some beautiful arrangements, violons, piano.
I'm thankful for all these songs that are probably going to follow me for many many years again.
 Sad, uplifting, but always controlled November 20, 2008
Terry Mesnard (Bellevue, NE)
Dido is one of those artists who is instantly recognizable just by listening to her cool, controlled and soft voice. Even when singing about tragic situations, the most emotion she allows to enter her voice is a wistfullness. For Dido, everything is steady as she goes. Even in the most painful moments, which this CD encapsulates.
Like many fans, this album has been a long time coming, filled with much anticipation. But I knew the moment I heard the tragic news of her father's passing that it would be awhile for the CD to percolate. And it's true, her father's passing has cast a pall over the songs here. It's a very somber album, moreso than her previous two. But it's also a terrific melding--finally--of her voice and the instrumentation.
I've always felt that, in the previous two albums which I love by the way, the music was there to support her voice. If you were to strip her voice, you wouldn't have much. Enter Jon Brion, a producer/writer who's worked with a variety of female artists through the years. He brings to the table some nice melodies that are distinctly his. It helps add to these songs in ways I never expected, whether it's the fun beat in "Us 2 Little Gods" or the sudden swelling of strings in some other songs.
The lyrics here are the best she's written. By far the most heartbreaking song is "The Day Before The Day," a song that seems to directly tackle her father's death. She sings, "I didnt get to say goodbye the day before the day / was trying to get to work on time, thats why I turned away / and missed the most important thing you've ever tried to say / I've lived my life without regret until today." It's moments like these that showcase a mature and powerful voice and its this dichotomy between the painful lyrics and her usually controlled voice. During this song, however, wistful sounds and even despair come into play.
Safe Trip Home is a terrific album, even though the last half turns very sad and slow. And Dido's voice is still the pure and beautiful instrument it has always been. One thing I'd like to see, though, for once is to see that constant voice break and see Dido really let out some emotions. But that's not really her. And that, I think, is ironically why I love listening to her.
 I REALLY wanted to like this album November 20, 2008
R. Spradley (California, CA, USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Like many Dido fans, I had been waiting and waiting for the third album. I loved her first two albums. However, I am disappointed. When I heard the single "Don't Believe in Love" I thought perhaps they had simply not chosen an appropriate song, but that is actually one of the more fast-tempo songs in the album. The only two songs that stick in my mind at all are "Grafton Street" and "It Comes And It Goes". The rest all sort of meld together as very minimalist instrumentally and similar-sounding. If you like really relaxing songs with little melodic variation, like to hear Dido's voice and try to interpret the lyrics, and little instrumental interference, you will probably like this album. For me, and probably many people who loved her last albums and the melodic richness, it is...for lack of a better word, boring. I really really wanted to like this album, and have more songs to listen to over and over again in my stereo, but even the two songs that stand out in this album will probably not be played very often. I still love Dido, I know she probably put a lot of her soul into this album, but I just cannot say I like it -
For the people who loved most of her old songs (particularly Hunter, Here With Me, Sand In My Shoes, This Land Is Mine, Life For Rent, White Flag, I'm No Angel, Don't Think Of Me, All You Want) - LISTEN to all the songs first before buying - hear the full versions first if you can, because the tempo-increase that you expect to come after the 30 second preview does not come.
Melodic, Raw, Honest November 19, 2008
C. Heath (Seattle, WA USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Dido's songs ring so true and captivate so easily despite how many times you've heard them, it's amazing to think it's been over five years since her last release. Her journey from new fresh face to mature songwriter continues as she takes another stylistic turn. Dido previously made some changes from debut to sophomore effort, using softer melodies and understated contentment to capture the listener. This time, she's gone even further down that road, utilizing live instrumentations in a way we haven't yet heard from her. The results are captivating and welcoming.
During these last few years, Dido lived in Los Angeles, took long drives through the desert, worked with various renowned producers and writers, and lost her father. The last event undoubtedly affected her writing most, and it was those producers that helped bring her creations to life in the most vibrant way. Jon Brion, Brian Eno, Citizen Cope and Rick Nowels all contributed to the making of the album, and Dido's ever-present brother Rollo made his own mark on several tracks. What's most exciting is Dido's progression as a writer and musician. She learned more about drums, guitar and even took classes to enhance her inherent skills.
"Safe Trip Home" sees Dido coming full circle. On the heartbreaking "Grafton Street", the albums grand opus and tribute to Dido's father, she plays the recorder, one of the first instruments she ever mastered. Dido wrote and recorded "Quiet Times" almost entirely on her own: The song includes her own drum and guitar playing. As always, Dido presents the most honest and real feelings through her songs, particularly on "It Comes and It Goes", a song in which she confesses there are moments of doubt in the midst of clarity. "Let's Do the Things We Normally Do" is a sneakily and ironically honest number in which Dido plays piano and asks to keep things simple and normal during the end of a relationship. The lead single "Don't Believe In Love" includes a groovy bassline and Dido's realization to let love in or let it die. She questions love again on "Never Want to Say It's Love", a laid back number with a moving chorus and Dido's pleasant hums scattered throughout. Speaking of hums, the track "Us 2 Little Gods" is full of them as the music lightly bounces along. "Look No Further" and "The Day Before the Day" are both sensitive and touching tracks without percussion, the former a softly inspirational tune and the latter a sad profession of loss. Citizen Cope contributed vocals and guitar on "Burnin Love": His rasp isn't an obvious compliment to Dido's pure voice, but it's surprisingly right. The closing "Northern Skies" shuffles along for nearly 9 minutes with a steady beat and memorable lyrics.
The album is quite a departure from Dido's previous work. But rest assured there are elements of familiarity. There are quite a few electronic blips and bleeps, and even some of the live brass and strings were programmed and altered to sound unique to the album. Though it's a softer album, "Safe Trip Home" has a quiet confidence and showcases a newfound maturity from Dido. Even the album cover, a photo of astronaut Bruce McCandless II performing the first untethered spacewalk over Earth, suggests Dido herself is reaching out and letting go of some things. It's as if she's settling down, coming back from a long journey through death and rebirth. Thankfully, even the painful songs are somehow inspiring.
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