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I guess
summer is officially here, because I just received the advanced La Bouche
CD. I don't know about you, but when I envision summer, images of
sweaty men on a hot dance floor trip through my head. Of course they're
going to need some hot music, and if the new offering by La Bouche is a
harbinger, girls this is going to be one fierce summer!
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The
American duo of diva Melanie Thornton and rapper Lane McCray feature a
distinct European sound. They both met in Germany; Melanie was visiting
her sister and Lane was in the Air Force. It's hard to believe that
three years have passed since their multi-platinum debut CD "Sweet Dreams".
It produced two top 10 singles, "Be My Lover" and "Sweet Dreams" --
the new release is called "SOS". |
"You Won't
Forget Me" (Stereo
/ Mono)
is cut in the same groove of their first hit, "Be My Lover". The
track offers La Bouche's trademark infectious hooks and high energy for
the dance floor. Unfortunately I have a feeling that some DJs will
not let us forget this track and overplay it to death. We'll see
by summer's end.
The
title track "SOS"
(Stereo
/ Mono)
is another tune that should get a lot of play this summer. Nice arrangements
a la Robert Miles, however, it probably could use another remix for those
finicky club jocks.
Watch
out Tina Turner, Melanie's got her umbrella out too! That's right,
La Bouche does a rendition of Tina's classic "I
Can't Stand the Rain" (Stereo
/ Mono)
. Melanie delivers vocals with sass! She continues in the same
vein on "Bolingo"
(Stereo
/ Mono)
, a track with Afro-Cuban roots. This sleeper is one of my favorites
on this CD.
Other
tracks that are worth mentioning include "Unexpected
Lovers" (Stereo
/ Mono)
, (what can I say, I'm just an old cha-cha queen!) and "Body
and Soul" (Stereo
/ Mono)
.
Throughout
"SOS", Melanie tries very hard to firmly establish
herself as a diva. All in all, her delivery is more than technically
adequate. Unfortunately, her performances never exhibit the nuance and
subtlety that is usually associated with this ranking. However, there is
no doubt of her talent, and the tracks are great to dance to!
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