If you “Believe”d in Cher a few years ago with her last CD, you won’t find much to hate about her latest effort, “Living Proof.” Other than a few questionable decisions, you’ll find the new CD to be a logical extension and follow-up.
“Proof” is, as a whole, a much more positive CD than “Believe.” While the latter was more of a downtrodden CD about the lack of love and surviving the loss of it, “Proof” is more of an upbeat mood, with songs about loving one another and other aspects of the good side of love.
There are a lot of winners here musically, and overall the CD is stronger than “Believe,” which in many places had a very big disco influence that worked fairly well but was not as accessible as the new CD.
First single “This is a Song For the Lonely” was recorded before Sept. 11, yet it is a great anthem for those who are out there dealing with the loss of loved ones, and Cher has dedicated it to them. The song is very catchy and has a great hook and makes a great single to reintroduce the dance side of Cher.
“Love So High” is another single-worthy track that works because of Cher’s good vocals and the chorus’s interesting chord progressions, which seems like it’s building to something throughout that part of the song.
Cher remade an Amber song on the CD, “Love One Another,” and although the song remains fairly faithful to the original, there are some differences that work well, such as the adjustments in the instruments that back Cher.
However, there is a very questionable choice in changing the lyrics. Amber’s version, which is also printed in the lyrics in the sleeve, has a very powerful lyric about equality: “Everybody black/Everybody white/We all look the same/If we look inside/Knowing what we know/Why must we still fight/Time for us to see the light.”
Cher’s version goes more like this: “Try to understand/Open up your heart/A fist is just a hand/It can come apart/Let go of the past/Let go of the fight/Cause giving fills the world with light.” While it fits the song lyrically and the overall message, Amber’s song had more power to it with those lyrics – she was saying something important, and it’s a shame it’s lost on this version, especially when the lyric book still uses the old lyrics.
Another questionable choice comes from the continued use of the vocoder on many of Cher’s songs on the new album, something carried over from the old album. While it worked on “Believe” and other tracks from the old CD, it’s something that can get old quick, and occasionally it does on this album. “This is a Different Kind of Love Song” uses it for everything but the chorus, and it seems old by the end.
Even then though, there are some uses that work fairly well, such as on the chorus of “The Music’s No Good Without You,” which uses it in a low, somewhat monotone chorus that also sets a good mood. A distortion of the voice, a slightly depressed sound, and it helps paint a musical picture that sets the mood well.
Cher’s run with Warner Brothers Records started in 1996 with an underappreciated album, “It’s a Man’s World,” which had some beauties on it, such as “One By One.” A remix of that song was fairly popular and intriguing, since Cher hadn’t done too much in the way of dance since her disco stint with songs like “Take Me Home” in the late 70s.
Joining artists like Bette Midler and Gloria Estefan in 1998, Cher released a pure dance album in the form of “Believe” and brought dance back into the spotlight with the title track hitting number one and staying there for four weeks. The follow-up, “Strong Enough,” went top 40.
With her new CD debuting at #9 right off the bat, it’s apparent people are longing for more of her music, and considering the strength of the CD, there won’t be much disappointment. Still, a few minor changes would likely propel this one past Kylie Minogue and some of the other dance artists making waves right now.
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