As exclusively revealed by Stacey-Lynn's NewsFoxes last week, this is a new section starting up today, wherein I try to review an album in two hundred words exactly. Why? Well, firstly to try to rein in my often over-loquacious writing (that's running off at the mouth, to you!) and to see if it's possible to get across the important points about the album in a short review. Secondly, to allow me to write more reviews: my usual ones take time, obviously, and these new ones allow me to quickly skim through an album --- or listen to it all the way through --- while just picking out the relevant points, instead of having to analyse each track, the history of the artiste, what the producer had for breakfast (just kidding there: the sound engineer, maybe...) and so on. In short, it's an effort to cut the waffle and present you with a filleted version of one of my reviews.
As Kate mentioned in the NewsFoxes report, this doesn't mean that any album I review in this way is any worse than one I do a full review on, or that I consider it less worthy, or anything. Often, these will be albums I know well and can write succinctly about. Sometimes they will of course be new albums I haven't heard before, but the decision will be mine as to in what format they get reviewed.
The two hundred words does not include the title, banner, tracklisting or any notes I may make before the review, such as to give a quick idea of who the artiste is, or any special information I have about them. Oh, and as the review is barely a few paragraphs, I'll only be featuring one YouTube from the album. It's a challenge, to write to such an exacting formula, but I like a challenge. So let's have the first one off the blocks then, shall we?
Soul provider --- Michael Bolton --- 1989 (Columbia)
Smooth. Sexy. Sterile. Three words that could be used to describe this, Michael Bolton's famous (or infamous, if you prefer) breakout album. Although it seemed to everyone as if he appeared overnight, this is in fact Bolton's sixth album, but it was the one that made him a household name, yielding a slew of hit singles and making his style of smooth jazz/soul rock fashionable.
There are some good covers, in particular Hoagy Carmichael's classic "Georgia on my mind", Laura Branigan's "How am I supposed to live without you" (which was in fact co-written by him) and Cher's "You wouldn't know love", but there are rockier tracks (sort of) too: "It's only my heart", "How can we be lovers" and "Love cuts deep" all rock along nicely, for Bolton that is. In general, the album is a smooch-fest, crammed with ballads and slow songs, though it's true that here he really does excel.
Although this album marked a move away from Bolton's more hard-edged, rocky approach, commercially it would see him rocket to the top, and indeed earn for himself the title of lounge rock lizard, and the undying scorn of rock fans who had hoped for so much more.
TRACKLISTING
1. Soul provider
2. Georgia on my mind
3. How am I supposed to live without you
4. How can we be lovers
5. It's only my heart
6. You wouldn't know love
7. When I'm back on my feet again
8. From now on
9. Love cuts deep
10. Stand up for love