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Review: Jack Foley
HAVING sold nearly 20 million albums to date, Lisa Stansfield
can rightly lay claim to being the UK's top female vocalist of
the past 15 years.
The Moment marks her sixth studio effort, and is notable
for being produced by the innovative and hugely influential, Trevor
Horn.
Sadly, it's a patchy affair, that is aptly summed up by the term,
'sophisticated adult-orientated pop'.
There's no denying the enduring quality of her voice, but there
are several moments when the album failed to stretch her, particularly
as it seems to have its eye fixed a little too strongly on the
mainstream.
Tracks such as the dreary ballad, Say It To Me Now,
and the bland, soul-laden He Touches Me fail to properly
do justice to the artist, and feel like the sort of tracks that
could easily turn up on a Saturday night Lottery-style programme,
as easy-listening entertainment fillers.
They are in stark contrast to the stronger points of the album,
which include a gutsy cover version of Prefab Sprout’s When
Love Breaks Down, and the upcoming single, Treat Me Like
A Woman, which find Stansfield a little more feisty.
Speaking about the album, Stansfield states, in her PR, that:
"Recording the album was just really refreshing. We would
write very quickly and just go in and see what worked.
"Initially, we played with a full band and then Trevor would
add and take things away.
"But there is a live, relaxed feel to some of the vocals,
which came from those early sessions. I am a real perfectionist
and it was just really exciting to let go."
With this in mind, it seems little wonder that some parts of
the album do seem a little rushed, while others are strictly for
the women only.
The Moment will no doubt consolidate Stansfield's position
at the top of the pile of UK female singers, but it ultimately
disappoints more than it delights.
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Track listing:
1. Easier
2. Treat Me Like A Woman
3. When Love Breaks Down
4. Say It To Me Now
5. He Touches Me
6. Lay Your Hands On Me
7. The Moment
8. If I Hadn’t Got You
9. Take My Heart
10. Love Without A Name
11. Takes A Woman To Know
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