Music
Review | Berlin: Voyeur
Written by: Kage
Alan
Album
Rating: A
"Blink of an Eye," the first track on the
album by the newest incarnation of
Berlin still featuring Terri Nunn, repeats the phrase "I
believe" throughout
its lyrics and chorus. It's as if they would have us
thinking they've been
reborn and are loving every second of it. If so, it worked
and they're
right. Aside from a live album in 2000 with a few new
tracks, the last time
they released a brand new full-length disc was back in 1986, the same
year
that "Take My Breath Away" took off with the Tom Cruise
vehicle "Top Gun". What happened to Berlin after
that? While I don't know the reasons behind the breakup,
lead singer Terri Nunn came out with a solo album in 1991 and then
disappeared from the public eye until reforming the group in 1998.
Has their sound matured? Is it completely different? The
same? If the live
album was any indication of where the group was situated in present
day, then
we were in for a real treat with "Voyeur." Terri
hasn't forgotten her roots
in dance music or abandoned them by any means. Instead, she
has taken the
older material and elevated it to current dance levels and written new
songs
that bridge the gap between the 80s and 2002. That's quite
a daunting task
for any group attempting a comeback, but after listening to
"Voyeur", they've
got everything well in hand. While their pure keyboard
sound has been
lessened somewhat to include more bass and guitar, the change does
their
sound justice.
After the initial reintroduction to the group, "Shiny" takes
us into the
dance realm where Berlin has previously found great success. Terri
wrote the
song after attending a rave party and seems to be reinvigorated and
rightly
so. She sings of Alice in Wonderland reaching out her hand
and going along
for the ride. We're going along too. Next up is
a slower track, "Lost My
Mind," that features some strong vocals and could very well be a
potential
single for the group. "The World Is Waiting" is
slower yet, but invokes a
sense of what her state of mind might have been after Berlin split up
and
what someone might or should have said to her afterwards. Yes,
I'm reading
into it a bit much, but inspiration does come from our own
experiences.
"Drug" is probably the most kinetic dance track I've heard
in a very long
time and is my favorite from "Voyeur." I've hit the back
button on the CD
player so many times that I'm worried I might wear out the remote
control.
If this isn't a hit in the clubs, I don't know what would be. This
would
also probably be a great contender for a video if BMG opts to put the
money
up for one. Hmm, I wonder if they'd need any extras for the
shoot! Right,
moving along we have "Sacred And Profane," a dark seductive
track with a
killer chorus. "All I Ever Need" picks up the
pace a bit and delivers
another strong vocal performance while "With A Touch" is
faster yet and might
make a decent single as well.
The tempo slows down again for "To A King," then picks right
back up with
"Stranger On The Bus." They may not be the strongest tracks
on the album, but I don't find myself wanting to skip past them at
all. Heck, I consider
myself lucky to have moved beyond "Drug." Finishing off
"Voyeur" is "Stronger
Than Steel," sort of. More on that in a moment. First,
though, "STS" is
another slower track, but one that features outstanding vocals with
the
perfect combination of musical accompaniment that keeps it from being
dull or
even the least bit monotonous. It was definitely a great
way to end the
album. Now, if you wait a little while after the final
track ends, we're
treated to an extra hidden track, a live version of "Pleasure
Victim" from
Berlin's first album of the same name.
After listening to "Voyeur" several times, the one thing
that really strikes
me is how little filler is on it and how even the slower tracks have
incredible strengths vocally and musically. It's obvious
that a great deal
of thought and work went into making this release as solid as it could
be.
Am I being biased? After all, I did meet the group and chat
with them. No.
In fact, I was concerned that I'd be tougher on them than necessary. I've
been listening to Berlin's older albums for so long now that my
expectations
were most likely much higher than usual. With a little
luck, lots of fan
support, some radio play and a prayer, Berlin will break into the 00s
and
create a new future for themselves. If "Voyeur"
is a taste of what's yet to
come, it's going to be a bright one.
Outstanding.
COMMENTS
Date/Time of Posting:
Sep 07 2002 / 12:13:49
IP Address: 207.203.38.51
name = George Mizzell
where = gmizzell@bellsouth.net
replyemail = review of "Music Review | Berlin: Voyeur"
comments = I believe this is a pretty good review, but nowhere near as
strong as I would put it. Literally I think Berlin is the ONLY
group that has yet to put out a bad song. I LOVE every song on
every album/CD that they have produced.
If "Blink of an eye" got 1/10 of the play time it deserved, it
would be #1 for several weeks. There has not been a song as
captiavting as it is since Ace of Base - All that she wants. It is
the definition of "Acoustical Inebreiation" or "Sonic
Intoxication", phrases usually reserved for the works of Pink Floyd
and ELP and the likes of those super stars.
Go Berlin, GO
|
