Wet Wet Wet
10
Mercury Records
|
Wet Wet Wet 10 Mercury Records |
As if America needs another British foursome invading the land of plenty, Glaswegians Wet Wet Wet produce yet another cliche drenched album, this time celebrating ten years in the recording industry. "The Wets" made waves a few years ago when "Love is all Around" appeared on the Four Weddings and a Funeral soundtrack, and, unbelievably, the Brits actually made it the biggest selling single in the UK, a record that still holds. 10 sounds more like Musak than anything even the most contemporary adult-oriented radio stations would play. The disc opens with "Strange," a funky tune uncharacteristic of the group's more traditional radio friendly slow ballad style. Fundamentally, Wet Wet Wet is all about melody, and they try every trick in the book to make it happen. "If I Never See You Again" is probably the most bearable track, though it has a melodramatic feeling only an 1980s Lionel Richie could effectively convey. Keep waiting for that segueway into into "Dancing on the Ceiling" halfway through the track. A pathetically overdone version of the most covered song in the world follows, Paul McCartney's "Yesterday." Lyrics from "If I Could Only Be With You" epitomize this album, dramatizing those early morning whispers, watching the sunrise, and "the look of love from you to me/as the night turns into day." Oddly, as the track numbers rise, the album actually improves slightly, although not in the way one might expect. "Back on My Feet" introduces a big band sound somewhere between Elton John and The Supremes. Then it tumbles downhill into full band swing on "Fool For Your Love," something only Barry Manilow could manage without falling victim to complete self-mockery. A big band "Mack the Knife" imitation follows on "Maybe I'm In Love" before slipping into a cover of the classic "Beyond the Sea." An egomaniacal instrumental "Theme Song From Ten" appears near the end, and the final track "It Hurts" mourns a bad break-up with a pseudo-reggae beat. 10 is an album dripping with sappy love songs and mimetic 1980s sounds, something to consider only in the direst circumstances, like a dateless Saturday night. -AC |
| [Read the rest of CISUM REVIEW in frames] [Back to Contents] |
