It’s been seven years since Swing Out Sister last had an album release in the United States. It’s been almost 20 years since their first pop hit, “Breakout.” Yet their eighth studio album (sixth in the U.S.), “Where Our Love Grows,” shows a duo remaining in top form, expanding their trademark musical style while staying true to their roots.
The duo’s specialty falls into a category they dub “timeless music,” in which elements of classic music merge with the technology and styles of today. This is a continued theme throughout this CD.
Look no further than the song “Let the Stars Shine,” which uses an ear-catching vocal layering reminiscent of old ’60’s female pop anthems (Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party,” for one), along with chimes and backing music firmly stuck in the ’60’s. Despite the throwback to this former decade, the lyrics are universal.
Other songs have a hint of The Carpenters, from the use of horns in “Love Won’t Let You Down” to the slightly melancholic performance of singer Corinne Drewery throughout the album.
The group is actually similar in composition to the Carpenters, as well. It’s partner Andy Connell is responsible for much of the instrumentation, although he cedes some of the work to their long-time producer Paul Staveley O’Duffy. This trio has been largely intact since the group’s inception.
Another theme carried through from previous albums is the reprisal of music and re-use of certain musical elements throughout the album. Certain musical riffs, chord progressions and musical thoughts are re-used in the instrumentals included on this album. It gives their albums a unique underlying connection, somewhat like a movie soundtrack.
While instrumentals have been a part of Swing Out Sister’s music for quite some time, there’s almost an overuse of them. Drewery’s vocals are an important part of the group, and yet there are only five songs for her to sing on this album. The other seven tracks consist of five instrumental songs, and two songs are remixed and repeated.
That said, the instrumental tracks are interesting in their own way. “Certain Shades of Limelight” has a bit of a bouncy and fun Austin Powers feel to it. “Caipirnha” has a “ba da da” chorus, along with horns and drums that are equally enjoyable.
These non-lyric tracks have a Japanese pop, Pizzicato Five-type feel to them, and that’s probably not accidental; the band’s biggest success over the years has been in Japan.
The re-use of songs has an effect of killing the momentum on the second half of the album. The acapella version of “Where Our Love Grows” is somewhat interesting because of the heightened emphasis it puts on Corinne’s beautiful vocals but seems unnecessary, especially when placed after two instrumental tracks that could have been easily placed behind the vocals. Look no further than the fan mix of the two versions on their website, swingoutsister.com, to see for yourself.
The final track weakly remixes the opening song, “Love Won’t Let You Down.” While the original album’s opening mix makes the album feel like an event is underway, the closing mix makes it seem like the album goes out like a lamb.
Those who have followed Swing Out Sister’s career these past seven years during their U.S. hiatus will likely be satisfied by the result.
However, those who haven’t heard from them since their last U.S. album may be surprised by the overall direction.
“Where Our Love Grows” is not a fantastic album and is by no means Swing Out Sister’s best, but it’s worth a purchase if you can catch it on sale, especially if you’re a fan of pop or soul music.
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