Reviews
Customer Reviews for Another Step
Vintage 80s pop featuring a number of great dance tracks
Rating:
Kim Wilde had a pretty big hit in 1986 with her remake of the Supremes' You Keep Me Hangin' On. That song alone was enough to make me go out and buy the CD, and I greatly enjoyed the album at the time. Heaven only knows how many years since I have listened to Another Step, but I recently put in back in for another spin, and the appeal is still there. This album is thoroughly steeped in the sound of the 1980s, and I must admit it took awhile for everything to start clicking again, but after a few tracks I began to remember why I used to like this album so much. Another Step is not perfect, though - there are a few weak tracks, but the good outweighs the bad. Those who came of age after the 1980s may have trouble appreciating this music, but those who love 80s music - and you know who you are - can have a lot of fun with this album.
After the chart-topping dance hit You Keep Me Hangin' On, Hit Him falls pretty flat - at least we're getting one of the least enjoyable songs over with early. Then you get Another Step (Closer to You), a duet with Junior Junior (who sounds uncomfortably like Michael Jackson), and suddenly you're riding back through the mid-80s on cruise control. The Thrill of It has a lot to offer, as well, and it really gets the joint jumping (unfortunately, the choruses drain the song of significant amounts of energy). There is no such problem with I've Got So Much Love, an energetic, guitar-driven crowd-pleaser that is, as far as I'm concerned, the best song on the album. I can close my eyes and almost believe I'm back in 1986. Victim has a different sound from the preceding songs, possessing something of a rebellious nature in its more sultry lyrics (those who bought the LP were out of luck, as this song was only included on the cassette and CD versions - hey, that was important back in 1986). Schoolgirl takes on something of a jaunty air, punctuated by horns, making Victim look like a small respite along the way to an energetic 80s pop rock festival.
Methinks there's some funky synthesizer work in play for Say You Really Want Me. I think this song was also released as a single, and - if it was not - it should have been. At this point, in the wake of eight energetic tracks, Kim decides to take things down a beat and make a turn on to Ballad Street. A soulful saxophone helps create the mood of She Hasn't Got Time For You, but the backup vocals on this song really annoy me for some reason and serve to ruin the effect of the entire song. As a whole, I don't think the slow ballads work as well as the energetic dance tracks - especially today. Brothers is the longest song on the album, and, despite an impressive bridge in the middle, it seems about twice as long as it really is - no matter how much you shake this one up, there's just not much fizz to be found. The same can be said of the next track, Missing.
The album rebounds in time for an impressive ending. How Do You Want My Love is a strong ballad that stands the test of time, evoking a measure of passion missing in the previous few tracks. The closing track, Don't Say Nothing's Changed, is a really slow and sensual song that comes close to being beautiful.
In all honesty, I am not familiar with Kim Wilde's career before and after this one album. I was in fact rather surprised to see that she has had a reasonably successful career, as I simply haven't heard her name in many years. What I can tell you, though, is that this particular album is vintage, mid-80s pop rock, and as such Another Step deserves another look (and listen) all these years later.
Customer Reviews for Another Step Cd
That's another step for Kim , one giant leap for her fans!
Rating:
Finally, in 1986, Kim Wilde scored her biggest hit on both sides of the Atlantic since "Kids In America." The song was a rocking cover of the Supreme's "You Keep Me Hangin' On." It topped the charts in both countries, and when I first heard bits of it on the UK Top Ten segment of MTV's Top 20 Countdown, I fell in love.When the album made its way Stateside, I was quick to snag it. Kim Wilde's vocals are stronger here than on Teases & Dares, more in a pop vein rather than the youthful power-pop/near-punk vein of her eponymously-titled debut. The songs here can be divided into two halves, with one exception. The first half consisting of the first seven songs, featuring hard guitar and zappity-pow pop, and the second the last five songs, of ballads. The song in the middle, "Say You Really Want Me," doesn't really fit with either half, and its inclusion here, as well as it being the followup single to "You Keep Me Hangin' On" baffled me. Apart from the hit single, songs like the title track and "The Thrill Of It," and "Victims" have that hard guitar sound. A pity the musicians weren't listed here, because whoever did that guitar deserves a mountain of credit for making this wonderful. Songs 3 through 6 could easily form a rock block, beginning with the title track, which utilizes the most of the hard driving sound. Guest vocalist Junior sounds somewhat like Michael Jackson and the ambience of the latter's "Beat It" is brought over. The song segues into "The Thrill Of It," with hard guitar riffs accompanied by a bass synthesizer. "I've Got So Much Love"
has got a kicking guitar solo in the middle along with the guitar riffs. Kim then really gets rough and ready singing, "I've got so much love for yeah yeah yeah yeah you!" "Victim" has some of the rebellious bite from her first album with yet another killer guitar solo. The title track was the third single from this album. The other three songs could easily have followed suit. Of the ballads, "She Hasn't Got Time For You" and "Don't Say Nothing's Changed" can easily be sung in a smoky dimly lit bar. The former with a synth beat and soulful backup vocals. "Brothers" starts out soft, but somewhere in the middle, launches into power ballad mode with its drums and rock guitar. She really powers up when she sings "That's another feeling. That's another place in your heart." "Missing" opens with a ripple of Spanish guitar. The song seems to be about a girl, maybe one driven to crime, or a runaway, who needs spiritual help. Along with the line "Somebody help her," there is distorted dialogue as if from a police radio mixed with a snatch of orchestra strings. In the ballad section, I get the same sense of loneliness and isolation from her that I did in Teases & Dares. In addition, there's always that someone who's lost in love more times than one wishes to remember. The album's closer, "Don't Say Nothing's Changed" is the most wistful of Another Step. It's a nice slow dance song, maybe the last song from the band before the bar closes. It's also the most polished in the lot. A pity that this wasn't a single. There's something about this album that I can't put my finger on, but all I can say at this point is that it would only work with Kim Wilde and no other artist. And that's what makes this special.
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