After she burst onto (and pretty much afterwards right out of) the scene in 1985 with the power ballad number one single “The power of love”, I wanted to know who this Jennifer Rush person was. Where had she come from, and what was the rest of her material like? So I bought the album which contained that hit, but her self-titled debut, released the previous year, was something of a damp squib, and I was less than impressed. Nevertheless, it wasn't a total loss and so when I chanced to see that she had a new album out in 1987 I thought, well what the hell, and went for it.
Suffice to say that the graphic above is more than appropriate. I was, to coin a phrase, gobsmacked. The difference between her debut and “Heart over mind” was just phenomenal. I really could not believe it: it was as if a totally different person had recorded this album. Whether this was due to the ever-tricky Debut Album Syndrome, where the artiste is trying to establish themselves and may make some “rookie mistakes”, or whether it was down to the quality of the songwriting, or the production, I don't know, but her 1987 effort was worlds removed from her first attempt. I was, in a word, impressed.
Heart over mind --- Jennifer Rush --- 1987 (CBS)
First impressions last, as they say, and although I had already made Jennifer's acquaintance via her eponymous debut album, on the sleeve of that she looked, whether intentionally or not, like someone at their wits' end, almost tearing her hair out. I think it was meant to look sexy and sultry, but it didn't come across to me that way. Also, almost every song on her debut was written by her producers, Candy de Rouge and Gunther Mendes, albeit with her input, and though they secured for her the huge hit that made her a worldwide success and a household name, I felt the lion's share of the songs on “Jennifer Rush” were weak and forgettable.
In contrast, she stands on the cover of “Heart over mind” in a short sexy dress, stockings (or tights) and high-heels, looking almost like a schoolgirl, though at this point she would have been 27. Very sexy looking, and very much inviting the potential listener to come inside and hear what she has to say. And it's not just gloss either: this beauty is far more than skin deep. The album features songs written for her by the likes of Michael Bolton and Desmond Child, and even the legendary Sir Elton John writes one for her, and duets with her on it also. How times have changed!
Possibly due to her newfound status as a
bona fide pop star, Jennifer is able to pull in star talent like Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora, drummer Russ Kunkel and even Harold Faltermeyer to help her out, and indeed, Faltermeyer and Childs' production (aided by two others) ensures this album stands head and shoulders above anything else in her catalogue, before or since.
It starts with a keyboard arpeggio very similar to Cutting Crew's hit “I just died in your arms tonight”, but then “I come undone” gets going as Jennifer's soulful, passionate voice kicks in, as does the rest of the band, and the song takes off as a boppy, rocky number, very commercial, and in fact I believe it was a single from the album. With thirteen keyboard players, six guitarists, five drummers and five bassists, and no less than eighteen backing vocalists (including Rush herself), there's certainly a lot going on musically, and the production matches the big sound on the album.
“Down to you” is a lower-key but yet powerful song, quite keyboard-led, with Jennifer's distinctive and powerful voice rising above the music like a phoenix from the fire, and this too is a very catchy, commercial-sounding song. It really stands on some excellent sax breaks, which give the tune a real solid quality. The title track, on the other hand, is more a europop/dance thing, though not losing its basic rock core. It is the most lightweight track on the album so far though, with a lot of keyboards and synth. The fact that it's a weak track and yet still good is a testament to how great this album is.
The first ballad comes in the form of “Search the sky”, one of two on the album on which Faltermeyer and Rush collaborate, along with Tom Whitlock. It's a nice, easy, keyboard-driven song, which showcases the strong yet gentler side of Jennifer Rush, seen on her big hit two years previous, but this is a much more restrained song, and all the better for it. Although this album did a lot better in Europe than it did in the US or the UK, the song the label had pinned their hopes on for a hit single was in fact not that successful, despite the presence of Sir Elton John on “Flames of Paradise”.
Personally, I can see why it wasn't a big hit. It's nothing special, in fact it kind of reminds me of Elt's other duet, “Don't go breaking my heart”, and I just find it generic pop. Not a bad song, but there are far better tracks on this album, and it's not surprising that the great record-buying public less than took this to their collective hearts. “Love of a stranger” is a nice kind of semi-ballad, but I think it falls a little short of the high quality seen on the album so far. It's followed by “Heart wars”, a real stormer with a very Harold Faltermeyer keyboard melody, quite dancy but with rock elements in there too.
“Stronghold” is by the same songwriting team who penned “Flames of Paradise”, but it's a marked improvement, with strong elements of a ballad in a mid-paced rock song, nice guitar work, good hook. The ubiquitous keyboards are there, but not so much to the fore on this track, and indeed the next song, which is in point of fact the penultimate one, is by them too, but for “Sidekick” Bruce Roberts and Andy Goldmark go for a more funky approach, a fast, dancy but very catchy song that just refuses to leave your head. Nice brass on this one gives it something of a feel of a throwback to the golden era of disco in the seventies.
As it opened strongly, so closes the album, with a great ballad penned by perhaps the king of power ballads, Michael Bolton, in conjunction with Jennifer and one Mark Radice. "Call my name" is piano-driven, not that surprisingly, with sudden bass and then an onslaught of guitar and keyboards. It's very effective as a closer, with Jennifer singing her heart out and some really nice keyboard runs, and a lovely burst of sweet sax too. Great ending.
For an artiste whom I was initially impressed with, then let down on her album, this was a massive and very welcome surprise to me. I guess this would have been the last chance I would have given Jennifer Rush to impress me, and boy did she ever! Without question her best album, of those I've listened to; it's something of a hidden gem. Yes, it did really well in Europe, but over here we more or less ignored it. I feel that's pretty much our loss.
TRACKLISTING
1. I come undone
2. Down to you
3. Search the sky
4. Heart over mind
5. Flames of Paradise
6. Love of a stranger
7. Heart wars
8. Stronghold
9. Sidekick
10. Call my name