Cher [1998] Believe

[01] Believe
[02] The Power
[03] Runaway
[04] All Or Nothing
[05] Strong Enough
[06] Dov'é l'Amore
[07] Takin' Back My Heart
[08] Taxi Taxi
[09] Love Is the Groove
[10] We All Sleep Alone



amg: Taking a cue from Madonna's Ray of Light, Cher goes Euro-disco on this platter of electro-beats and pulsating club rhythms. But where Madonna's ease into the genre offshoot almost was an identifiable part of her career and culture (and therefore a sonically charged and thrilling listen), Believe comes off like Cher's latest playground move. Working with a stable of competent European studio craftsmen, Cher herself merely moves through the beat factory with one drab vocal range, blending butt-shakers (like the title tune and "Strong Enough") and semi-ballads ("Dov'e L'Amore") into one endless, and personality-free, thump session. Anyone could have been signed on as the voice in front of these generic tracks (which at times slip into glossy, overproduced late-'80s plastic); Cher brings only her name and star clout, no soul whatsoever. So, all aboard! The techno bandwagon is packing up and moving on. And Cher is determinedly, if not wholeheartedly, clinging to the tail end of it.
(amg 5/10)

Christie [1970] Christie

[01] Yellow River
[02] Gotta Be Free
[03] I've Got A Feeling
[04] New York City
[05] Inside Looking Out
[06] Put Your Money Down
[07] Down The Mississippi Line
[08] San Bernadino
[09] Country Boy
[10] Johnny One Time
[11] Coming Home Tonight
[12] Here I Am
[13] Until The Dawn



amg: Christie was a relatively unknown band from England that had the hit song "Yellow River" in 1970. No relation to the '60s American pop idol Lou Christie , this band managed to release one obscure album in North America on the Epic label in the same year. This collection represents the reissue of that album in its entirety along with detailed liner notes about the band. Not much exciting on this album other than the hit single, Christie has a place in the one-hit wonder bins of the world.
(amg 5/10)