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All rights reserved.Forever Your Girl - Abdul, Paula (Cassette 1992)
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Straight Up--This Is "Where It All Began" (W/O)Review created: 04/15/03
by: age6racer -- a member of Epinions
Pros:
Great to dance to, poppy, 80's goodness.
Great to dance to, poppy, 80's goodness.
Cons:
Poppy 80's goodness.
Poppy 80's goodness.
*This review is an entry in lambchops Where it all Began Write Off.*
One of my brothers, who is seven years older than me, had quite the enviable collection of cassettes when we were younger. Among them was Paula Abdul s Forever Your Girl. I would listen to the tape in our big, ugly, but cool van that not only had a TV and VCR in it, but also TWO(!) Tape players, so we kids could listen to whatever we liked with individual headphone plugs near each seat.
After hearing Paula while on the road I decided I needed to hear her more often. I would borrow the tape from my brother and lay on the living room floor listening to Paula on what was probably also my brother s Walkman while coloring and singing along. Yup, coloring. Hey, I was only six.
Admittedly, this tape, or any tape for that matter, is no longer part of my music collection, but for the sake of this write-off I downloaded the tracks and listened to them for the first time in about fourteen years.
I remember thinking when I was young that Paula Abdul was the most talented singer the world had ever known. We didn t have cable TV, so I hadn t seen any of her videos, but from her picture on the cover of the tape, she was pretty, too, and cool, with that one-shoulder-on-one-shoulder-o
Of course it is widely known that Paula Abdul first came into the spotlight as a cheerleader for the L.A. Lakers and is now a judge on American Idol. (Why is she qualified to judge this? Anyone know?) Her music career is all but dead, but her talents as a dancer are still acknowledged.
As for her voice, well, it s thin. She gets through the ten tracks on Forever Your Girl adequately, but never impressively. She doesn t have much of a range, with the songs all sticking to a comfortable mid-to-up tempo.
But this was the 80 s, and popular music was largely comprised of semi-talented performers who could sing danceable, catchy tunes. If that s what you re looking for, you might not be disappointed by Forever Your Girl.
However, listening to it again made me wonder just what I saw in Paula so many years ago. I had a hard time getting through all the 80 s cheese.
It ain t the money or the diamond rings/Honey I ain t impressed with your material things.
The album starts out with The Way That You Love Me, a strong enough opener, full of sharp enunciations and plenty of synthesizers. The song has an admirable message, I suppose, with Paula declaring that she loves whoever she is singing to for him, not for his material possessions.
You got me knocked out, turn me inside, it s you that makes my heart beat.
Or as I used to sing, Sugar makes my heart beat. The second track, Knocked Out has a somewhat edgy feel to it, with lots of drum machine keeping the beat moving along. I really liked this one when I was younger.
It ain t fiction/Just a natural fact./We come together/cuz opposites attract.
Who could forget Opposites Attract? This one received heavy airplay on both the radio and television in 1988. I remember seeing the video once or twice at my grandma s, who did have cable, and thinking it rather silly. Paula s in love with a cartoon cat? Weird. The title says all it is basically a list of dueling singers stating their preferences. Danceable, catchy as hell, and there s even a little rap thanks to MC Kat in the Shut Up & Dance version.
State of attraction/Somehow you make my body come alive.
Paula s musical range is probably best demonstrated on this otherwise forgettable song. The chorus reaches, high, screechy notes that I never could, and still can t, hit when trying to sing along. It moves along fast, and again, is highly dance-worthy notice a trend here?
You're such a perfect lover yes/You always know just what to do.
This is as close to smutty as Paula gets on Forever Your Girl. Track 5, I Need You slows things down a little. Paula s voice sounds particularly whiny and grating in this one.
Flip tape over to side two now.
*Remember those books on tape you used to listen to with that message? Or maybe that was just me anyway, back to Paula.*
He could promise the world/You gotta remember/I'm forever your girl
Side two starts off strongly with Forever Your Girl. While the weakness of Paula s voice is still evident, the song is enjoyably sweet and light. (Just like I like my coffee but not usually my music.)
Straight up now tell me.Do you really want to love me forever oh oh oh/Or am I caught in a hit and run
Straight Up is, without a doubt, the strongest track on the album. Paula s voice is forceful and commanding, just as the subject matter of the song requires.
When I'm next to you/I feel brand new
Bleh. I never liked Next To You. It is sappy, slow, overlong, repetitive and just bad overall. This slow-burner feels out of place among its faster sisters. Paula coos about her lover for seemingly three years. Fast forward through this one, please.
He's a cold-hearted snake/Look into his eyes/Oh oh oh/He's been tellin' lies
Growing up in a house with three older brothers, we watched a good deal of WWF (and GLOW, when that was on), and I always liked Jake The Snake Roberts. Cold-Hearted was also my absolute favorite song on the album. I would listen to it over and over. What was with me and snakes? I dunno, but I don t have any special affinity for them these days. Maybe I was mean-spirited? I liked the anger and passion in this one, something that still speaks to me in music today. And my favorite part: You could find somebody better girl/He could only make you cry/You deserve somebody better girl/He's c-cold as ice.
You can only have one or the other/Is it gonna be her/Is it gonna be me?
One Or the Other is a weak track and ends the album on a weak note. There is nothing to distinguish it from any other song on Forever Your Girl.
In summary, Paula Abdul s debut album, Forever Your Girl, is totally 80 s. That is to say, if you re looking for something to dance to, and don t mind those synthesizers and drum machines under a thin, nasal, often whiny voice, this album is pretty good. While there is nothing wrong with this album, there is also nothing great about it.
So do I recommend it? Well, when it was released in 1988, it held widespread appeal to young girls, much like Britney and Christina do today. Listening to Paula is a breath of fresh air when compared to the smutty, lusty, highly sexualized songs that are on the radio now. I would absolutely recommend this over the modern performers for young girls. Though the music is most definitely dated, it s fun to sing along with or dance around in your underwear to. Admittedly, I was dancing here in my seat a little while listening to the songs.
If you re into 80 s pop, this is a must-have. If you re not, you have good taste and this won t appeal to you.
Final rating, 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.
Here s the tracks:
1. The Way That You Love Me
2. Knocked Out
3. Opposites Attract
4. State of Attraction
5. I Need You
6. Forever Your Girl
7. Straight Up
8. Next To You
9. Cold Hearted
10. One or the Other
Now go read the other entries in this fun write off, ok?
http://www.epinions.com/user-l
One of my brothers, who is seven years older than me, had quite the enviable collection of cassettes when we were younger. Among them was Paula Abdul s Forever Your Girl. I would listen to the tape in our big, ugly, but cool van that not only had a TV and VCR in it, but also TWO(!) Tape players, so we kids could listen to whatever we liked with individual headphone plugs near each seat.
After hearing Paula while on the road I decided I needed to hear her more often. I would borrow the tape from my brother and lay on the living room floor listening to Paula on what was probably also my brother s Walkman while coloring and singing along. Yup, coloring. Hey, I was only six.
Admittedly, this tape, or any tape for that matter, is no longer part of my music collection, but for the sake of this write-off I downloaded the tracks and listened to them for the first time in about fourteen years.
I remember thinking when I was young that Paula Abdul was the most talented singer the world had ever known. We didn t have cable TV, so I hadn t seen any of her videos, but from her picture on the cover of the tape, she was pretty, too, and cool, with that one-shoulder-on-one-shoulder-o
Of course it is widely known that Paula Abdul first came into the spotlight as a cheerleader for the L.A. Lakers and is now a judge on American Idol. (Why is she qualified to judge this? Anyone know?) Her music career is all but dead, but her talents as a dancer are still acknowledged.
As for her voice, well, it s thin. She gets through the ten tracks on Forever Your Girl adequately, but never impressively. She doesn t have much of a range, with the songs all sticking to a comfortable mid-to-up tempo.
But this was the 80 s, and popular music was largely comprised of semi-talented performers who could sing danceable, catchy tunes. If that s what you re looking for, you might not be disappointed by Forever Your Girl.
However, listening to it again made me wonder just what I saw in Paula so many years ago. I had a hard time getting through all the 80 s cheese.
It ain t the money or the diamond rings/Honey I ain t impressed with your material things.
The album starts out with The Way That You Love Me, a strong enough opener, full of sharp enunciations and plenty of synthesizers. The song has an admirable message, I suppose, with Paula declaring that she loves whoever she is singing to for him, not for his material possessions.
You got me knocked out, turn me inside, it s you that makes my heart beat.
Or as I used to sing, Sugar makes my heart beat. The second track, Knocked Out has a somewhat edgy feel to it, with lots of drum machine keeping the beat moving along. I really liked this one when I was younger.
It ain t fiction/Just a natural fact./We come together/cuz opposites attract.
Who could forget Opposites Attract? This one received heavy airplay on both the radio and television in 1988. I remember seeing the video once or twice at my grandma s, who did have cable, and thinking it rather silly. Paula s in love with a cartoon cat? Weird. The title says all it is basically a list of dueling singers stating their preferences. Danceable, catchy as hell, and there s even a little rap thanks to MC Kat in the Shut Up & Dance version.
State of attraction/Somehow you make my body come alive.
Paula s musical range is probably best demonstrated on this otherwise forgettable song. The chorus reaches, high, screechy notes that I never could, and still can t, hit when trying to sing along. It moves along fast, and again, is highly dance-worthy notice a trend here?
You're such a perfect lover yes/You always know just what to do.
This is as close to smutty as Paula gets on Forever Your Girl. Track 5, I Need You slows things down a little. Paula s voice sounds particularly whiny and grating in this one.
Flip tape over to side two now.
*Remember those books on tape you used to listen to with that message? Or maybe that was just me anyway, back to Paula.*
He could promise the world/You gotta remember/I'm forever your girl
Side two starts off strongly with Forever Your Girl. While the weakness of Paula s voice is still evident, the song is enjoyably sweet and light. (Just like I like my coffee but not usually my music.)
Straight up now tell me.Do you really want to love me forever oh oh oh/Or am I caught in a hit and run
Straight Up is, without a doubt, the strongest track on the album. Paula s voice is forceful and commanding, just as the subject matter of the song requires.
When I'm next to you/I feel brand new
Bleh. I never liked Next To You. It is sappy, slow, overlong, repetitive and just bad overall. This slow-burner feels out of place among its faster sisters. Paula coos about her lover for seemingly three years. Fast forward through this one, please.
He's a cold-hearted snake/Look into his eyes/Oh oh oh/He's been tellin' lies
Growing up in a house with three older brothers, we watched a good deal of WWF (and GLOW, when that was on), and I always liked Jake The Snake Roberts. Cold-Hearted was also my absolute favorite song on the album. I would listen to it over and over. What was with me and snakes? I dunno, but I don t have any special affinity for them these days. Maybe I was mean-spirited? I liked the anger and passion in this one, something that still speaks to me in music today. And my favorite part: You could find somebody better girl/He could only make you cry/You deserve somebody better girl/He's c-cold as ice.
You can only have one or the other/Is it gonna be her/Is it gonna be me?
One Or the Other is a weak track and ends the album on a weak note. There is nothing to distinguish it from any other song on Forever Your Girl.
In summary, Paula Abdul s debut album, Forever Your Girl, is totally 80 s. That is to say, if you re looking for something to dance to, and don t mind those synthesizers and drum machines under a thin, nasal, often whiny voice, this album is pretty good. While there is nothing wrong with this album, there is also nothing great about it.
So do I recommend it? Well, when it was released in 1988, it held widespread appeal to young girls, much like Britney and Christina do today. Listening to Paula is a breath of fresh air when compared to the smutty, lusty, highly sexualized songs that are on the radio now. I would absolutely recommend this over the modern performers for young girls. Though the music is most definitely dated, it s fun to sing along with or dance around in your underwear to. Admittedly, I was dancing here in my seat a little while listening to the songs.
If you re into 80 s pop, this is a must-have. If you re not, you have good taste and this won t appeal to you.
Final rating, 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.
Here s the tracks:
1. The Way That You Love Me
2. Knocked Out
3. Opposites Attract
4. State of Attraction
5. I Need You
6. Forever Your Girl
7. Straight Up
8. Next To You
9. Cold Hearted
10. One or the Other
Now go read the other entries in this fun write off, ok?
http://www.epinions.com/user-l
Review ID: 10000000000210348
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