<*dv_2*>The year is 1987. It is a time devoid of soul where the faceless hordes of Stock, Aitken and Waterman ravage the planet with their musical detritus suffocating everything in their wake with saccharine sentiment and drum machines from hell. Hang on, not a lot has changed has it? Waterman still stalks the earth forehead throbbing in pursuit of a new breed of pop gimps only he is know flanked by the music-mongers of doom Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell.
<*dv_1*> From this talent free wasteland a braided figure dressed like a young upwardly mobile James Brown strode from the rubble and sent Waterman scurrying back to his manufactured hole.
Introducing the Hardline is a retro tour de force, a quintesential 80's album which although now sounding a little dated on a few tracks still delivers the goods. Entirely written and produced by TTD save the gorgeous gospel take on Smokey Robinsons Whos Loving You he manages to fuse disparate elements of pop and soul managing to sound both old and new. They call it Nu-Soul these days but back then he just sounded fresh.
<*dv_0*> Your nostalgia radar may pick up on tracks like the breeezy Motownesque If You Let Me Stay, TTDs first solo single, which I defy any lover of soul music not to jig about the room to. It sounds like a distant cousin of You Cant Hurry Love. No, not the Phil Collins version.
A muscular Dance Little Sister is TTD tackling the issue of suicide whilst doing James Brown. O.K, O.K not the most sensitive approach and yes, there is only one James Brown, but since JB hasnt written a good song since Living in America you can make do with this facsimile. It includes not one but two false endings.OWWWW.Good God! I wanna kiss myself!
TTD has often been accused of being arrogant and pretentious. That is because at times he is. His flowery poeticism would sound absurd emanating from say, Liam Gallagher but TTD somehow manges to carry it off. Wishing Well is prime fodder for naysayers. He talks about "kissing like a bandit stealing time underneath a sycamore tree" WHAT!!!! TTD has the luxury of letting his brain issue cheques his voice can cash. He could be singing about cleaning his toilet and it would sound like manna from heaven.
The crowning glory surely is "Sign Your Name". A musical albatross that has hung around his neck during his subsequent career. It reached number 2 in the U.K. kept off the top spot by T'Pau of all people and over the years the song has been covered by such diverse acts as George Michael and Christina Aguilera. Its all synewy keyboards, moody introspection and skyscraping middle eight. A pop hook so good you could hang your coat on it.
Alas, TTD would never hit such commercial heights again even though he has made better albums. Although he isn't signing his name across any welfare cheques at the moment TTD deserves to be remembered for more then shagging Bob Geldof's wife.
Review submitted by Dara Yazdani
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