Fact #162835

Johnny Black : ‘A mature record with a fun edge’ insists the press release. Having listened to it twice, I’m still not sure what that means, but I do know I admire the honesty of Swing Out Sister. They’ve openly admitted that their music is tailored to the yuppie market, and confessed to choosing Corinne Drewery as their vocalist because they couldn’t imagine how any record company could turn her into a sex symbol. I can appreciate the logic there, but I suspect another reason to choose Corinne was that she seems to have perfected the art of sounding as flat and nasal as Sade while also emitting an erotic whine reminiscent of Madonna. It’s not a pleasant hybrid, believe me.

Every track starts out as a pretty good groove, but I cringe every time dreary Drewery lets loose. It takes all sorts, I guess.

The music is not unlike the kind of thing Matt Bianco (I daren’t say Shakatak) used to do much better – slick, danceable modern pop-disco with hints of jazz; a calculated attempt to sound like all things to all men. As a formula, it has already paid dividends in terms of Top Ten hits like Surrender and Breakout, but I really can’t imagine anyone wanting to hear this again in six months time. Take it home and stick it in your Filofax.
(review first appeared in CD Review, October 1987)