B*Witched: Awake & Breathe (Epic/Glowworm)
With their first four singles entering the UK charts at Number One, and the US falling under their spell, everything looks rosy for Edele, Keavy, Lyndsey and Sinead (God, even I know their names!). But where do Ireland's chart-topping colleens go from here? Answer: they leave behind the teen-queen stance and try to project a more grown-up image. Yes, girls & boys, it's Womanzone! This second album sees B*Witched broadening their style in an attempt to take on America's wide-open spaces: I Shall Be There mixes African and Celtic rhythms, and features guest vocals from none other than Ladysmith Black Mambazo; Red Indian Girl challenges Dixie Chicks to a showdown; and My Super- man adds some beefcake to the Spice Girls' recipe.
- Kevin Courtney
Eurythmics: (BMG)
With bands like Blondie making spectacular comebacks, the climate is right for Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart to reclaim their pop crown, and Peace makes a creditable attempt at rekindling the chemistry which made Eurythmics one of the biggest acts of the 1980s. The opening lines of 17 Again delivers a startling reminder that Annie Lennox possesses one of the finest voices in pop, and it soon becomes apparent that Stewart's musical and arranging skills are as sharp as ever. Beautiful Child, Anything But Strong and the current single, I Saved The World Today are well-crafted, midtempo pop ballads, and play to Lennox's vocal strengths; power-pop tunes such as Power To The Meek and I Want It All, however, don't work as well as slower, more measured tunes such as My True Love and Lifted.
- Kevin Courtney
Frankie Vaughan: The Essential Recordings 1955-1965
Butch and beefy: and that was his voice, as well as his looks. Frankie Vaughan, who died recently, seems certain to become a "camp" favourite, and not just because of his trademark song Give Me The Moonlight. What this remarkable collection reminds us is that our Frankie was, in a sense, a founding father of British pop, even rock'n'roll! Sure, he was blown off the stage by "new kids" like Cliff Richard in 1958, but songs like Green Door, Garden of Eden, Kewpie Doll, Come Softly To Me and even from, 1960, the towering Tower of Strength proves he was at least trying to tap into nascent rock, however hamfisted his attempts. There still is great energy, humour and charm to many of these recordings. Belt-along-with-Frankie? Why not?
- Joe Jackson
Eric Clapton: The Clapton Chronicles (Reprise Records)
This selection of Clapton material features the more commercial side of the guitar genius, and if you have most of his CDs already, it may not interest you. Two new songs, though, remind us just how good he can be. They come from movie soundtracks - Runaway Bride and The Story Of Us - and show how well he has mastered this kind of writing. The first song, Blue Eyes Blue, is very well mixed, the voice blending softly with a classical guitar sound to create a beautiful, haunting number; the second, (I) Get Lost, has the Latin effect that everyone seems to be striving for these days, and it works well, even though it features the dreaded drum machine. All in all, this chronicle shows that Clapton is far from clapped out.
- Colm Banville
