Basia - London Warsaw New York (1989)

GEOGRAPHY WEEK (JANUARY 8-14, 2012)

In the late '80s, I enjoyed listening to Basia. Now? Not so much. I couldn't tell you the last time I heard this CD, although I listened to it so much when it was released, the songs are immediately identifiable. With my love for '80s music, I'm surprised that my tastes have changed regarding this album. Looking back after 20+ years, it seems that Top 40 pop music was quite the wasteland in the late '80s (Paula Abdul, Milli Vanilli, Will To Power, Boy Meets Girl, Roxette, New Kids On the Block, etc.). On this album, the pop songwriting is solid, but the dated arrangements and production aren't. Ah, well, I guess it is just a product of its time. For example, the ballad Brave New Hope is a decent song, but the heavy-handed production overshadows the melody. It doesn't help that Basia yells as much as she sings - just because you can hit high notes doesn't mean you should. Also, scat-singing should never ever have overdubbed harmonies. Still, despite all this, I can't get these melodies out of my head. Basia released her next album in 1994, but I had long moved on to other things by then.

Press of the time:

• Los Angeles Times (★★★½): "the best pop-Brazilian album in years"
• CashBox: "consistent, both thematically and melodically"
• Record Mirror (★★): "a feeble collection of 10 positively limp songs"
• Billboard: "an irresistibly catchy set of soul and jazz-inflected tunes"
• Stereo Review: "popular music doesn't get much better than this"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #20 (Mar 31, 1990)
• Billboard CD: #8
• Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #1
• CashBox Contemporary Jazz: #1

Tracks: The stand out track is the cover of Stevie Wonder's Until You Come Back To Me. The material is so strong even the synth bass can't drive me away. I still like the bossa-flavored Baby You're Mine and the cheesy filler track Not An Angel as well.

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Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Time and Tide (1987)