In this column, after dancing with Abdul in the Middle East, we move to heart of the old country. We travel to Ireland, then back to L.A. In the meantime, we study mysticism.
Reviews appearing here originally appeared in the Herald Times Reporter, where I work as assistant managing editor. I appreciate any feedback or requests for CDs to review on the Internet or the newspaper. With that said, the musical play is just ahead.
Paula Abdul, Head Over Heels (Virgin Records)
Abdul and her label did the right thing with making her first single "My Love Is for Real" - the song sounds great and has a unique Middle Eastern flavor that gets people talking about the artist again. After all, she hasn't released anything since 1991. The song also features Israeli singer Ofra Haza's vocals.
The singer heads in the right direction to reclaim her position as one of the top dance artists with this release.
"Crazy Cool" is a catchy song that grows on listeners until it starts sticking, like the bubble gum sound of the early '80s that Madonna popularized. "Ain't Never Gonna Give You Up" is a highly-danceable song with a soul feel. Half of Color Me Badd joins Abdul on the song.
Abdul deserves a Top 10 song with "If I Were Your Girl," a beautiful ballad that may bring "Sexy Thoughts" to romantic listeners. Actually, "Sexy Thoughts" works as a dance track. It brings elements of the Prince sound, but would have sounded better with his treatment. The song almost cries out for AFKAP (the artist formerly-known as Prince) and Abdul to perform in duet.
"The Choise Is Yours" is simple and repetitive, in a way designed to draw feet to dance floors - it works in that regard. It won't win any Grammys. "Ho-Down" has an interesting World War II dance hall sound with a 1990s drum machine beat. The effect sounds great.
One ballad to listen to is "Missing You" - it makes listeners remember a breakup filled with tears and someone apologizing just to get that person back. Maybe the other person couldn't swallow his or her pride, or couldn't shed a tear. The song is a must hear for anyone who has suffered emotional wounds from a relationship that ended badly. "Cry for Me" is a good ballad, too.
In general Abdul sounds good on each track and some should give her Top 10 hits. She breaks some new ground and yet continues where she left off.
Follow this link to the Paula Abdul Home Page.
Gene Paul Mann, I Call It Magic (Missile Records)
Gene Paul Mann has a strong, clean voice in the style of old country singers such as Marty Robbins and Kris Kristopherson, although he sounds like neither.
"Absence Makes the Heart Go Wander" is a clever song about a woman who leaves the singer and how he vows not to fall in love again. The track has a good beat and stands as the best of the fast songs on the CD.
Mann sounds best on slow songs, however. "My Heart Takes the Blame" shines as a catchy love song that fits the singer's unique and rich voice. The slide guitar helps make the song memorable, almost like a good Marty Robbins ballad.
"I'm Not Over You" sounds pretty good as a song with a medium tempo, and "Ask Me No Questions" is an above-average ballad, about someone who doesn't want to tell more lies.
The title track sounds good enough for radio play, too. It makes listeners think about an encounter with a stranger - that single dance that makes them wonder whether a great romance could develop. But after the song ends, so does the dream and both partners walk to their own corners of the room and never fulfill it.
"Love on Our First Night" conjures similar images, but this time the relationship works and the first won't be the last night they share.
Mann tells a good story through his songs, especially on "A New Face at My Old Address." Listeners can almost see the man standing outside the home of his ex-lover, knowing the woman is with another man. Mann expresses a strong sensitivity through his voice, which makes the lyrics more relevant and real.
Mystic Revealers, Space and Time (RAS Records)
Mystic Revealers incorporates traditional roots reggae with beautiful musical accompaniment to create a unique style that sounds great.
Billy "Mystic" has a great voice and writes intelligent lyrics.
The title song, for example, talks about how "we're standing in the footprints of who's been here before" and how we need to make the most of our time here and leave the world a better place for those who come after us.
Other great songs are "In Dis Time," "I Believe in Love," and "I and I," although the whole album in strong.
L.A. Guns, Vicious Circle (PolyGram Records)
L.A. Guns has released a good combination of rockers, along with a few ballads thrown in for good measure.
"Crystal Eyes #" is the best song on the disc. However, that song also appears on the band's 1991 release, Hollywood Vampires.
It still sounds good, word for word, although the listed time is one second shorter.
"Fade Away" is the other ballad, and it, too, is a track not to miss, especially considering the band doesn't bring out its heavy artillery for it.
One of the highlights of the disc is a cover version of "I'd Love To Change the World," the Alvin Lee song made famous by his band Ten Years After in 1971.
The L.A. Guns new version adds a touch of metal to the straight-forward rocker.
Young Dubliners, Breathe (Backyard Records)
Aside from a few songs, this disc sounds similar to a typical country or folk album by a U.S. artist.
In fact, one of the lead singers sounds a lot like Hal Ketchum. The sound of the band might be less commercial than its U.S. peers, however.
The traditional Irish songs on the release are the most interesting: "Foggy Dew" and "Follow Me Up To Carlow" - both songs sound like one would expect a band with Dubliners in its name to sound.
Perhaps the Young part of the band is more contemporary and holds little value in tradition. Most of the songs, unfortunately, fall into that category and help make the album fade into the realm of the average and uninspiring.
Follow this link to the Young Dubliners Home Page.
(C) 1995 Daniel E. Klatt Enterprises.