Tracks Dangerous
- Dangerous
- In The Closet
- Give In To Me
- She Drives Me Wild
- Heal The World
- Jam
- Why You Wanna Trip On Me
- Remember The Time
- Gone Too Soon
- Can't Let Her Get Away
- Black Or White
- Will You Be There
- Keep The Faith
- Who Is It
Release date: 2001-10-25
RRP: £15.99
Price: £1.97
Review Dangerous / Michael Jackson:Michael Jackson was still going for pop hits with 1991's Dangerous, but he also front-loaded the album with six straight Teddy Riley-assisted cuts. This half-hour swoop of tense, aggressive, often angular funk was Jackson's most interesting music since Thriller, and still sounds, well, invincible on this remastered edition. After that, the record's uneven, but there's nothing embarrassing about it, either. "Gone Too Soon", a non-Jackson composition about teen AIDS casualty Ryan White, is a quiet statement (particularly played next to the choir-laden "Heal the World", "Keep the Faith", and "Will You Be There") showing that the star doesn't always have to get showy. The sprightly "Black or White" is explicitly pro-interracial romance, an angle its video didn't go near, and the urgent "Give In to Me" is almost scary. Scary good, that is. -Rickey Wright.
Tracks The Velvet Rope
- Velvet Rope
- Free Xone
- You
- What About
- Can't Be Stopped
- Go Deep
- Empty
- Sad
- Got Til It's Gone
- Tonight's The Night
- Interlude
- Together Again
- Anyhting
- Memory
- Online
- I Get Lonely
- Every Time
- Rope Burn
- Full
- Special
Release date: 1997-10-06
RRP: £8.99
Price: £1.59
Review The Velvet Rope / Janet Jackson:Teaming with her most accomplished collaborators, producer-songwriters Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Janet Jackson delivers what is easily her finest record since Rhythm Nation-and arguably her best ever. Highlights include jams like "You" and "Got 'Til It's Gone", which recontextualises samples from War and Joni Mitchell, respectively; the funky memorial to a dear departed, "Together Again"; and a slinky cover of Rod Stewart's "Tonight's the Night". Best of all, though, is "What About. " An accusatory throw-down for a lover who beats and cheats even as he professes his love, it swings angrily between tender quiet and raging bitter funk. -David Cantwell.
Tracks Butterfly
- Whenever You Call
- Fly Away
- Outside
- Butterfly
- Honey Honey
- Honey (2)
- Beautiful Ones
- Fourth Of July
- Roof
- Babydoll
- My All
- Close My Eyes
- Breakdown
- Honey (3)
Release date: 2001-10-01
RRP: £6.99
Price: £1.90
Review Butterfly / Mariah Carey:Carey's first post-divorce effort makes passing allusions to her ex-hubby (and label honcho) Tommy Mottola, but it doesn't dwell on them the way many similar projects do. Instead, Carey is right back to her old tricks; cooing trademark melismatic spirals through sexy, beat-heavy hits. Fans will dig the bedroom slink of "Baby Doll", the dripping "Honey" and the infectious title track (reprised, along with a bit of Elton John's "Skyline Pigeon", in "Fly Away"). The highlight is a duet with Dru Hill on Prince's "The Beautiful Ones", which just might be her most pointed commentary on Mottola. -Michael Ruby.
Tracks Raw Like Sushi
- So Here I Come
- Heart (It's A Demo)
- Outre Risque Locomotive
- Manchild
- Buffalo Stance
- Manchild (1)
- Heart
- Phoney Ladies
- My Bitch
- Buffalo Stance (1)
- Inna City Mamma
- Love Ghetto
- Next Generation
- Kisses On The Wind
Release date: 1989-06-05
RRP: £8.99
Price: £1.85
Review Raw Like Sushi / Neneh Cherry:Defiant, sexy, playful, nervy, womanly, and wise, 1988's Raw Like Sushi was the opening salvo in Neneh Cherry's brilliant, if woefully underappreciated, career. The hit "Buffalo Stance," with its reworking of Malcolm McLaren's Buffalo Gals vibe, found Cherry erroneously labeled as a rap artist. True enough, there are hip-hop elements on Raw Like Sushi, as well as pop, electronic, R&B, and dance, all gleefully mixed up in a progressive melange of beats, cultures, emotions, and grooves. Besides being fierce, funky, and one of the best debuts in memory, Raw Like Sushi helped redefine what women could do in the rigid realm of late-'80s African American music, and it sounds as good today as it did the day it was released. -Amy Linden.
Tracks Greatest Hits 1985-1995
- Steel Bars
- This River
- Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay
- How Am I Supposed To Live Without You
- When I'm Back On My Feet Again
- When A Man Loves A Woman
- Missing You Now
- Lean On Me
- Can I Touch You There
- Georgia On My Mind
- Love So Beautiful
- Soul Provider
- Said I Loved You But I Lied
- Time Love And Tenderness
- I Promise You I Found Someone
- How Can We Be Lovers
Release date: 2001-06-13
RRP: £6.99
Price: £0.98
Review Greatest Hits 1985-1995 / Michael Bolton:Known for a terrifying rendition of Otis Redding's hit "(Sittin' On The) Dock of the Bay" (among others), Michael Bolton tears up every classic soul tune he can get his hands on. Ray Charles' "Georgia on My Mind" and Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman" take on completely new meanings in the hands of this former hard rock singer. This two-CD, 17-cut retrospective of the Greatest Hits 1985-1995 includes all the songs that catapulted him to mega-stardom and plenty of others that show him as just another sincere fool for love ("I Promise You" and "I Found Someone"). Just as Meatloaf turned up the juice on the histrionics of Bruce Springsteen, Bolton takes the soul singer out of the smoky night club and into the hockey arena for the whole world to hear. -Rob O'Connor.
Tracks My Way
- Slow Jam - Usher & Monica
- I Will
- Come Back
- You Make Me Wanna
- Just Like Me
- Bed Time
- One Day You'll Be Mine
- You Make Me Wanna
- Nice And Slow
- My Way
Release date: 1998-02-02
RRP: £9.99
Price: £3.65
Review My Way / Usher:
Publisher: EMI
Release date: 1993-10-18
RRP: £8.99
Price: £1.98
Review One Woman : The Ultimate Collection / Diana Ross:
Tracks Touch Me In The Morning
- Little Girl Blue
- Touch Me In The Morning
- Leave A Little Room
- Brown Baby/ Save The Children (Medley)
- I Won't Last A Day Without You
- My Baby (My Baby My Own)
- We Need You
- All Of My Life
- Imagine
Release date: 2002-07-25
Run time: 36 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £3.16
Review Touch Me In The Morning / Diana Ross:
Tracks Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants
- Send One Your Love
- The First Garden
- Voyage To India
- The Secret Life Of Plants
- Black Orchid
- Venus' Flytrap And The Bug
- Seasons
- Power Flower
- Ai No, Sono
- Outside My Window
- Kesse Ye Lolo De Ye
- Same Old Story
- Race Babbling
- Earth's Creation
- Finale (Stevie Wonder/Journey Through The Secret Life of Plants)
- Send One Your Love
- Ecclesiastes
- A Seed's A Star/Tree Medley
- Come Back As A Flower
- Tree
Release date: 1995-09-18
Run time: 88 min.
RRP: £13.99
Price: £8.80
Review Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants / Stevie Wonder:
Tracks Born to Do It
- Rewind
- 7 days
- Last night
- Rendezvous
- Can't be messing 'round
- Fill me in
- Follow me
- Booty man
- Time to party
- Walking away
- Once in a lifetime
- You know what
Release date: 2000-08-12
Price: £9.99
Review Born to Do It / Craig David:The scene was set before Born to Do It's release: Craig David, garage pin-up superstar and king of the two-step scene. Er, not quite. Apart from the two chart hits he'd enjoyed with the Artful Dodger and as a solo artist ("Rewind", "Fill Me In" respectively), this is an R&B album aimed firmly at-and inspired by-America. The slang, the beats and the sentiments all echo Eric Benet, R Kelly and the rest. At times it's almost comical: Craig's trouble is that better artists have already been there and done that-and they've done it, well, better. When Craig does break from slavishly following American influences, he becomes the promising artist that those first two singles hinted at: "Walking Away", with its electric guitar and slight folk feel, stands out a mile from the rest. There's no doubt that the boy can sing, and at 18 years of age maybe it's too much to ask of him to project a strong identity. The photography, the lyrics and the sideburns all hint at maturity that isn't there yet. Three albums down the line we could be hearing a good Craig David album, rather than this mediocre debut. -Jake Barnes.
Tracks Give Me the Reason
- See Me
- I Gave It Up (When I Fell In Love)
- Stop To Love
- Anyone Who Had A Heart
- Give Me The Reason
- Because It's Really Love
- There's Nothing Better Than Love
- So Amazing
- I Really Didn't Mean It
Release date: 2002-02-04
RRP: £6.99
Price: £2.98
Review Give Me the Reason / Luther Vandross:
Tracks #1's
- Emotions
- I'll Be There
- Dreamlover
- I Still Believe
- Whenever You Call
- Honey Honey
- Always Be My Baby
- Love Takes Time
- One Sweet Day
- Vision Of Love
- Without You
- Do You Know (Mahogany)
- Fantasy
- My All
- Hero
- Prince Of Eygpt (When You Believe)
- Sweetheart
- Someday
Release date: 1998-11-16
RRP: £13.99
Price: £2.95
Review #1's / Mariah Carey:Mariah Carey's #1's is as much a time capsule of 1990s pop and R&B as a record of one woman's chart toppers: the disc chronicles a shift from the sweet, nearly '50s-style "Vision of Love" to more recent hip-hop-lite grooves featuring heavy input from Puffy Combs ("Honey"), Jermaine Dupri ("Sweetheart"), and O. D. B. ("Fantasy"). Some hit, some miss, but all feature the fluttery swoops that Carey substitutes for expression of feeling. Depth is beside the point, but few of these tracks are even fun. Still, after eight years, there seems to be no stopping her, and this album will hardly break her streak of successes. -Rickey Wright.
Tracks Rise
- 5 O'Clock
- There's Nothing I Won't Do For You
- Rise
- If You Love Me
- Tell Me What You Dream
- Sunshine
- Gonna Get Better
- Independence Day
- Rise
- Falling
- Out Of Reach - Gabrielle, London Session Orchestra
- When A Woman
- Should I Stay
- Over You
Release date: 2001-04-30
Run time: 54 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £1.99
Review Rise / Gabrielle:This, the third re-issue of Rise features in addition to the bonus tracks and CD-ROM videos of its predecessor, the smash hit single from Bridget Jones Diary, "Out of Reach". Gabrielle's career has demonstrated a remarkable longevity considering that after 1993s all-conquering "Dreams", she's seemed to cater for the few but the fickle city bohemians that have just discovered Massive Attack as "the next happening thing". It's not hard to see why, though, because Rise is ultra-slick, impeccably-produced soul-lite. What might come as a surprise is that in its own way, it's actually very good. A largely weepy album, much of Rise deals with the emotional fallout of a failed love-affair, but through its tears, songs like "Over You" and "When a Woman" offers a girls-against-the-world solace. But as a warm undercurrent, there's a parent-friendly theme to "Sunshine", dedicated to Gabrielle's son, that should see Rise lovingly working its way into a vast number of record collections. -Louis Pattison.
Tracks #1s
- Emotion
- Bills, Bills, Bill
- Check On It (Feat. Slim Thug) (New Song)
- Stand Up For Love (2005 World Childrens Day Anthem) (New Song)
- Survivor
- Lose My Breath
- Soldier (Feat. T.I. and Lil Wayne)
- Independent Women Part I
- Feel The Same Way I Do (New Song)
- Jumpin, Jumpin
- Say My Name
- Cater 2 U
- Girl
- Bug A Boo
- Bootylicious
- No, No, No Part 2 (Feat. Wyclef Jean)
Release date: 2005-10-24
RRP: £16.99
Price: £2.85
Review #1s / Destiny's Child:
Tracks I Heard It Through The Grapevine
- It Takes Two - Marvin Gaye, Kim Weston
- Can I Get A Witness
- Got To Give It Up
- What's The Matter With You Baby - Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells
- Unforgettable
- If This World Were Mine - Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell
- Stubborn Kind Of Fellow
- Ego Tripping Out
- Little Darling (I Need You)
- You Are Everything - Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye
- I Heard It Through The Grapevine
- How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
- I Want You
- What's Going On
- The World Is Rated X
- Pride And Joy
- Yesterday
- Trouble Man
- Let's Get It On
- Chained
Release date: 1999-08-02
Run time: 78 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £0.30
Review I Heard It Through The Grapevine / Marvin Gaye:
Tracks All The Great Hits
- Tenderness
- Remember Me
- Reach Out And Touch (Somebody's Hand)
- I'm Coming Out
- My Old Piano
- Good Morning Heartache
- Do You Know Where You're Going To
- Ain't No Mountain High Enough
- Touch Me In The Morning
- Upside Down
- Love Hangover
- It's My House
- It's My Turn
- The Boss
- Endless Love - Lionel Richie, Diana Ross
- Last Time I Saw Him
Release date: 2001-01-22
Run time: 63 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £2.98
Review All The Great Hits / Diana Ross:That's "Ms. Ross" to you, bub-and this is your best bet when collecting the solo output of the former Supreme. The disc spans from her first solo hit, 1970's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," through her four 1980 collaborations with Chic. Since 1994's Ultimate Collection repeats most of the material here, adding only six Supremes hits and a cover of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"-and 1993's Forever Diana is awfully padded-this is definitely the one for casual fans. -Bill Holdship.
Tracks Design Of A Decade 1986 To 1996
- Control
- Alright
- Black Cat
- Miss You Much
- Let's Wait Awhile
- Rhythm Nation
- Come Back To Me
- The Pleasure Principle
- When I Think Of You
- Runaway
- Whoops Now
- Nasty
- Escapade
- Love Will Never Do (Without You)
- What Have You Done For Me Lately
- Twenty Foreplay
- The Best Things In Life Are Free - Janet Jackson, Luther Vandross
Release date: 2001-05-18
Run time: 80 min.
RRP: £8.99
Price: £2.99
Review Design Of A Decade 1986 To 1996 / Janet Jackson:
Tracks The Hits Collection
- Attack Me With Your Love
- I Just Want To Be
- Flirt
- She's Strange
- Freaky Dancin'
- Post Mortem
- You Make Me Work
- Single Life
- Keep It Hot
- She's Mine
- A Goodbye
- Back And Forth
- Sparkle
- Be Yourself
- Shake Your Pants
- Rigor Mortis
- Word Up
- Candy
Release date: 1998-02-23
Run time: 80 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £1.99
Review The Hits Collection / Cameo:
Tracks Epiphany: the Best of Chaka Khan
- Every Little Thing
- I Know You I Live You
- Through The Fire
- Everywhere
- I'm Every Woman
- And The Melody Still Lingers On (Night In Tunisia)
- Ain't Nobody
- End Of A Love Affair
- Tell Me Something Good
- Somethin' Deep
- Love Me Still
- What'cha Gonna Do For Me
- Papillon (Aka Hot Butterfly)
- Never Miss The Water
- Your Love Is All I Know
- I Feel For You
Release date: 2006-07-03
RRP: £6.99
Price: £2.87
Review Epiphany: the Best of Chaka Khan / Chaka Khan:
Tracks Merry Christmas
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)
- Jesus Oh What A Wonderful Child
- Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
- Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)
- All I Want For Christmas Is You
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- Jesus Born On This Day
- Joy To The World
- O Holy Night
- Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
- Silent Night
Release date: 2004-10-25
RRP: £6.99
Price: £1.98
Review Merry Christmas / Mariah Carey:She's been hailed for her multi-octave vocal range-a tool that sometimes detracts from her pop recordings, but actually works quite beautifully in the context of this charming holiday collection. Fans will surely approve of Carey's renditions of slinky secular songs like "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" and a nicely subdued "All I Want for Christmas Is You". But where she really surprises is in her unadorned delivery of traditional carols, highlighted by "Silent Night" (which she sings quietly, avoiding the temptation to wail those high notes) and "Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child". Merry Christmas is a must for die-hards and a pleasant surprise for the unconverted. -David Sprague.
| Models & Brands:
Dangerous, The Velvet Rope, Butterfly, Raw Like Sushi, Greatest Hits 1985-1995, My Way, One Woman : The Ultimate Collection, Touch Me In The Morning, Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants, Born to Do It, Give Me the Reason, #1's, Rise, #1s, I Heard It Through The Grapevine, All The Great Hits, Design Of A Decade 1986 To 1996, The Hits Collection, Epiphany: the Best of Chaka Khan, Merry Christmas |
