Basia - The Sweetest Illusion (1994)

A typical Basia poppy-jazzy-adult contemporary album - if you're in the mood, it's spot-on and if you're not, it can be annoying as hell. (For the record, today I'm in the mood and I'm quite enjoying it.) I'd reckon this album is stronger than London Warsaw New York but not quite up to Basia's debut, Time And Tide. Very easy to digest and there's some good writing here. My only complaint is that the duo tries to take us on a world tour of musical styles - each song a derivation of some groove you've heard before - with mixed results. It's best when they lose the accordion and scatting and stay in their usual, comfy, pseudo-Latin lane.

Also, as noted in a 1994 LA Times feature:

[Basia's] voice is a little deeper. “That’s because I took vocal lessons, which brought out that side of my voice,” she says. “But it’s also because of the influence of Anita Baker. I love the deep side of her voice and I listen to her CDs constantly.

Listen to a lot of Anita Baker CDs, huh? Join the club. Entertainment Weekly gave The Sweetest Illusion a grade of C+ while Billboard spotlighted the album and gave it a positive outlook for sales.

For what it's worth, I'd be game for a Danny White instrumental album. The Sweetest Illusion has since been released on a 3 CD deluxe set and the second CD of that set is mostly instrumental versions of these tracks. Hmmm...

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #27
• CashBox: #20

Tracks: This is one of those front-loaded albums - the first 3⅔ songs are fantastic, then things get hit-or-miss. The lead track, Drunk On Love, hit the top spot on the Billboard dance chart on October 29, 1994, Basia's only appearance on that particular chart. The better tracks from the middle to the end of the album are the title track (which is the most '90s-sounding thing here) and More Fire Than Flame.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Best of Matt Bianco (1990)
London Warsaw New York (1989)
Time and Tide (1987)