Paula Abdul: Spellbound CD Track Listing

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Paula Abdul Spellbound (1991)
Originally Released May 14, 1991\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: The reason Paula Abdul was one of the handful of pop-dance artists of her time to actually have a career is that her production is so good that 10-15 years later it stands as the embodiment of late-'80s pop without being a parody of itself. And with this, her second album, she reinforces the upbeat personality she expressed on Forever Your Girl while showing growth as well. "Promise of a New Day," "Rock House," and John Hiatt's "Alright Tonight" are bouncy and joyous, much like some of the bright hits from her debut, but she adds a funky techno edge with "Vibeology," and "Will You Marry Me?" skates that thin line between sweet and precious. Additionally, Abdul adds better and more ballads to this CD. Smartly, her production team has put together sweeping, adult love songs (the hits "Rush Rush" and "Blowing Kisses in the Wind") that help give her strong crossover appeal to adult contemporary without alienating her original fan base. Not many artists hit the mark twice in terms of commercial and critical appeal, but Abdul was savvy enough to choose strong material (much of which was co-written by Abdul herself, Peter Lord, Sandra St. Victor, and V. Jeffrey Smith) and smart producers (including Lord, Smith, and Don Was). This was a safe follow-up to a massively successful debut, and surprisingly enough for a pop star, the baby steps she took toward becoming a respected artist were sure and solidly embraced. -- Bryan Buss\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nDoesn't stand the test of time, August 20, 2006\nReviewer: KC (Raleigh, NC United States)\nI was going through my old cassette collection (yes, I still have my cassettes), and I came across this album. Listening to it for the first time in years made me sort of cringe and feel embarrassed that I listened to this back in the day. What made Paula Abdul's debut album FOREVER YOUR GIRL such a guilty pleasure was that it was fun dance/pop songs that didn't take themselves so seriously. A little formulaic it was, but who couldn't help but love bubble-gum classics such as "The Way that You Love Me," "Straight-Up," or "Cold-Hearted". After the album sold millions of copies, there were criticisms about Paula's singing talent (and speculation that she didn't even sing some of the songs on that album). So what did Paula do? She decided on her second album that she wanted to be taken more seriously, and also prove herself as a singer. So she enlisted the help of what was supposed to be the hot production team of the Family Stand (remember "Ghetto Heaven"?). The result: a bunch of overproduced, way too slick dance songs, and a few power ballads. The power ballads aren't too bad; "Blowin Kisses in the Wind" and "Rush Rush" are actually quite good. But the dance songs sound much too dated and don't stand up to any of the other dance classics of the early 90s (Cathy Dennis, CeCe Peniston, Dee-Lite, etc). "Promise of a New Day" is OK, but the old joke of the day was to count how many times she actually repeats the phrase "promise of a new day" in that song. "Rock House" was an attempt at social consciousness (we loved you, Paula, for your dance moves, not your political views). "U?" is produced and written by Prince, but sounds like one of his throwaways. "Alright Tonight" sounds out of place as it tries to channel Jimmy Buffet. And "To You" is just there...nothing special about it. As for her singing, it was slightly improved, but still not the greatest voice in music you'll ever hear. The early 90's was a weird time in music, before grunge, when Michael Bolton, Vanilla Ice, and MC Hammer, as well as hair metal bands, dominated the music charts. Therefore it's no wonder that this album is characteristic of that awkward moment in music history.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nYou Give Love, You Get Love, June 16, 2005\nReviewer: Kevin Killian (San Francisco, CA United States)\nWhen I was young and in a vulnerable place in my life, Paula Abdul's music meant a great deal to me and helped me to see thr bright spots in a dark cloud that was then passing over my life. Paula didn't have the greatest voice in the world, but engineering technology helped her over the hump. Her dancing style seemed so original, but she taught it to Janet Jackson first, and Janet did it better than she did, so that oddly enough Paula seemed like a clumsy imitator of Janet's moves, and her voice seemed even weaker than Janet's. The truth is that both of them are great, but for different reasons. And nothing will replace the masterpiece that is SPELLBOUND. I love the graphics on the cover that show Paula under attack by the kind of typeface that Prince used to use to show emotional distress. This is the period when she was experimenting not just with different techno beats, but with different photo looks too--partly caused by fluctuating weight gain and loss--remember the video which anamorphically stretched her out so she looked like she was eight feet tall? \n\n"Rush Rush," the great hit single, had a romantic video of its own with Paula pursued by heartthrob Keanu Reeves; some cynics disputed whether Keanu, who looked so stoned in the video, even knew he was being photographed at the time. It is one of the key ballads of the 20th century, right up there with "If Ever I Would Leave You" by Lerner and Loewe, "But Not For Me," by Gershwin, and Cole Porter's "Night and Day." RUSH RUSH brings it all home, and it's not just about sensual longing, it's about philosophy and the pull of narrative and the way story-telling is the key to a long life: \n\n"Here's my story, and the story goes: you give love, you get love, and more than Heaven knows." The music perfectly complements the words and imitates the adrenaline rush of that moment when you fall in love for the very first time. For me it represented the moment when someone I loved died, a miserable death of a tragic disease. I would sit in his room and play RUSH RUSH over and over again until he felt momentarily at peace. The lamp was set low so the shadows played over his face and his twitching hands. We had a joke that someday Paula Abdul would burst into the room eight feet tall and extremely thin. Or perhaps Keanu might just fall in.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA few twists, but mostly by the numbers dance pop, January 31, 2005\nReviewer: Greg Brady "columbusboy" (Capital City)\nPaula Abdul slammed into the pop consciousness with "Forever Your Girl", a CD crammed with 5 solid Top 40 hits. After such success, most artists fear the dreaded "sophomore slump". Whether this CD, her 2nd, avoids that pitfall depends on whether you're judging it on artistic or commercial terms. \n\nCommercially, it was a definite comedown. This one charted 3 instead of 5, although it would've been hard to match the first on that score. Artistically, it's a definite step forward. Paula's voice is still pretty mediocre, but she does try and push it and seeks to make the music more inventive. \n\nShe sings a Prince song that he produces ("U"), attempts to go out of her depth with a John Hiatt tune ("Alright Tonight"), and tries to reinvent herself as a vamp ("Vibeology", even managing to dabble in a little New Agey protest music ("Promise of a New Day","Rock House"). \n\nSome of this works..."Promise of a New Day" actually hit the charts respectably and does the "save Mother Earth" thing without sounding too dorky. But "Rock House" doesn't fare as well, promising the baddies she will "rock you" and "house you".Likewise "U" has a great groove, but Paula doesn't really sound like the sex kitten she needs to be to make the song work. \n\n"Rush Rush" and "Blowing Kisses in the Wind", the other hits, are both likable ballads, as is "Will You Marry Me?". But when all things are said and done, nothing makes you say "Play that AGAIN!" \n\nThis is what it is....a collection of occasionally catchy but mostly undistinguished (or is that indistinguishable?) pop. There are some OK tunes, but nothing of lasting value really. An extra 1/2 star for trying though... \n\n2 1/2 stars... \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nNow this is more like it!, April 9, 2004\nReviewer: Brandon L. Harlow (Colonial Heights, VA United States)\nExcellent sophomore effort from Paula Abdul! Unfortunately it did not take off and her star fell from the sky. Ironic that her first album was weaker, yet more widely accepted.\nEvery song on this disc is marvelous! No, seriously! If i had to nail down a favorite it would be either "Blowing Kisses In The Wind" (an extraordinary ballad) or "U" (real funky & fresh). "Vibeology" is also a treat and holds the dubious honor as her infamous chunky MTV Awards performance. Not to mention the opening track, "Promise Of A New Day," where she was criticized for using the elongated video to make her seem thinner. The critics were cruel & focused more on her weight than this exceptional disc.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThis album leaves me "Spellbound" even now!, December 15, 2003\nReviewer: Distant Voyageur "Nicholas Computer" (Io)\nThe title to Paula Abdul's 1991 sophomore couldn't have been better. This album in my opinion is a great artistic quantum leap forward from her excellent 1988 debut "Forever Your Girl" which while great, it has dated very quickly in its sound. "Spellbound" on the other hand has really held up surprisingly well over the years since its release and today it is a stunning classic. I got my first dose of her music when I was a young kid listening to Chicago's B96 and hearing all the barrage of awesome dance music from that period and recall hearing "Opposites Attact" and "Promise Of A New Day" on the radio around that time. I was forever hooked on her music afterwards even though it would be seemingly entire eons before I would discover that these were by Paula Abdul. After finding out who these songs were by, I had to go and get them on CD and "Spellbound" was the album I got containing the latter. For the greatest moments on this album, there's something about them that just really evokes a lot of emotion in me that few other albums do. "Promise Of A New Day" is by far the finest track not only off this album but also among Paula's greatest musical achievements. Just the spine-tingling keyboard chimes at the beginning combined with the electric bass gives this song a very electrifying and powerful feel to it. I've had strange dreams of hearing this song in my dreams for some strange reason. I don't know what it is about this track but WOW! This song has unbelievable power that I can never get enough of listening to it. Perhaps it's because it brings back a lot of excellent memories that I had around late 1991 through 1992 that this song just touches me like few others. It's also interesting to think about it as music radically changed almost overnight after this album came out going from the house techno pop of the previous two years to straight-out grunge rock by the year's end. I enjoyed both styles but techno-house has held up better in my opinion but let's not change the subject of this review. \nThis album isn't perfect though. There are some moments though on this album that it begins to hit some speed bumps so I'll get through them to get them out of the way. "U", "For You" and "Alright Tonight" don't really do much for me. With the song "U", the rock and techno elements clash instead of merging and the result is a less than great track. "For You" while occasionally interesting feels like a reject from the "Forever Your Girl" sessions and is too short in my opinion. "Alright Tonight" kind of stagnates in my opinion with its somewhat unappealing stab at a more tropical style. These three songs are not bad at all by any stretch of the imagination but they don't quite rank up with the others in my opinion. \n\nHowever that is made up though with the ballads on this album. The number one single on this album "Rush Rush" is the greatest ballad that she has ever done in, trashing any other slow song of hers. This has a very haunting and moving tone to it and haunting violins and while her voice isn't necessarily golden, it perfectly fits on this powerful and moving song. I also enjoy this song because it brings up great memories of my life around 1991-through early 1993. It's still amazing that this powerful ballad knocked Michael Jackson's "Black or White" out of the top spot on the charts. That's saying a lot. "Vibeology" is just sheer fun with its rumbling bass lines and heavy dance hooks but the track suffers from relatively insipid and utterly silly lyrics that can be a bit jarring at times. However, if you can bypass the vapid lyrics, this is an absolutely fabulous track and is just loads of fun. However Like a previous reviewer said, it was lyrics like this that would ultimately close her career. "Blowing Kisses In The Wind" is another good song with a slightly orchestral sound to it although not on the powerful level of "Rush Rush". The album comes to an excellent close with the final track "Will You Marry Me". This song is definite beauty with a jazz-piano vibe and a dramatic and dreamy melody. The song is about a girl proposing marriage as opposed to a boy usually proposing the same thing. Yeah it's corny but the musicianship and the unique melodic structure are just excellent and negate the corniness. \n\nI've read right and left that some have labeled her as the Britney Spears of the 1980s. Well you know what, I couldn't disagree more. Paula Abdul blows every post-1993 teen pop singer right out of the water and into the trash. Can you imagine Britney doing something as powerful as "Rush Rush" or intoxicating and powerful like "Promise of a New Day"? I didn't think so. Okay, maybe parts of her first album may have some girly-esque elements that bring Abdul close to Britney territory but even then, the slick pop and solid hooks of both FYG and "Spellbound" puts her entire oceans ahead of any of today's teen pop idols. On this album, she did a great job at sounding sexy without crossing the line into vulgarity, something that many of today's younger artists don't seem to know how to. \n\nMuch of Abdul's music has dated very quickly and has also been sadly been forgotten by many but if there is any album of hers that truly lasts through the ages, it's definitely this one. She has done a marvelous job and I highly recommend that you purchase this unbelievable classic. I haven't been more proud of purchasing an album in years and today, it's now an album that holds a special place in my life. It's just a shame that this underrated lady's career evaporated after this album's time wrapped up but I've heard that she may put out another album in the near future. I hope it's true and perhaps she could put out that album that could rival "Spellbound" with its power but it remains to be seen for now. This CD is one of the relatively uncommon occurrences when a truly excellent and creative album goes platinum and "Spellbound" is one of those instances. It's sad she went right down the toilet both commercially and artistically after this. \n\nUntil then, just put this CD on and have a swell time. Just be careful not to come down with big nostalgia attacks like I have listening to this marvelous treasure of a classic. Enough said, just go and buy this CD today!\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nAbdul's Second Album Shows Stronger Promise Than Her Debut, November 29, 2003\nReviewer: L. Piatkowski "lpiatk1" (Chicago, IL United States)\nPaula Abdul was a pop star made for the late '80's, early '90's--she wasn't a great singer(her voice was tinny, and she had a severely limited vocal range), yet she was extremely photo/telegenic and she was an amazing and innovative dancer/choreographer.\nHer smash-selling debut, "Forever Your Girl," had a slew of hits, but wasn't a great artistic triumph. It was essentially a second-rate copy of Janet Jackson's "Control" and Madonna's "True Blue." The singles were enjoyable, but forgettable, and there was far too much filler.\nOn "Spellbound," Abdul tries for an edgier more evolved sound, and she does manage to succeed fitfully. \nThe biggest obstacle in Abdul's quest for artistic respect is her vocal talent. Her voice isn't a great instrument--it isn't particularly distinct, and there isn't much she can do, vocally. She does, however, have personality,and that is more important than genuine musical talent. \nThe songs on "Spellbound," are much more sophisticated the tunes on her debut effort. The album has more ballads, as well. The lite-soul of "Rush, Rush"(a #1 smash)gives Abdul a chance to flex some of her aenemic vocal muscle, and while no one will confuse her with Whitney Houston, she still manages to pull off a good job. More interesting, in terms of ballads, is "Will You Marry Me?" a whimsical little ditty, that has the girl proposing to the guy. Abdul's paper-thin voice, sounds child-like, but that suits the guile in the song. The song is sheer pop, but it still has a deeper resonance than her other ballad efforts.\nThe dance songs are what Abdul does best. The title track is good, as is the musically ambitious "Promise of a New Day"(the album's other #1 hit)."Vibeology" is an interesting mess of a club/disco song with a vocally manipulated Abdul, cooing over a piano-driven beat. The song, despite being gaudy and over-produced, still works. Her cover of "I'm Alright(Tonight)isn't terrible(though it won't make you forget the original), and "To You" is a good bit of filler. The only songs that don't work are the silly anthem-for peace "Rock Your House" and the Prince-like drivel "U." "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" is also rather ponderous. \nOver all, the album is a step in the right direction for Abdul. She tries on the song selection to spread her artistic wings, and while she's not on par with her dance-pop diva rivals, Madonna or Janet Jackson(vocally, they're all in the same league, but musically Madge and Jackson have the edge), she does pull off a respectable job in trying to grow as an artist.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA Pop Treasure, June 27, 2002\nReviewer: Chris S. "cscotts" (atlanta, ga United States)\nIt's easy to see why,coming off the huge success of her debut,many didn't know what to think of Paula Abdul's sophomore offering SPELLBOUND. Admittedly, first single 'Rush Rush' was an unusual move considering that Abdul was primarily known for uptempo dance fare, but the record worked beautifully, confirming that Abdul, though not a great vocalist, could take on a ballad and actually make it work. Those who loved that track and bought the ensuing album were probably either pleasantly surprised or wildly put-off, because with the exception of that song, the other two ballads('Blowing Kisses In The Wind', 'Will You Marry Me?'), and the upbeat 'The Promise of A New Day', there's is little here that resembled the more straightforward work of her debut. I personally was thrown off upon first listen, but repeated spins proved that this was quite an ambitious undertaking for an artist praised far more for her dancing than her musical ability. Granted, a large part of this can be attributed to the production work, most of which was handled by forward-thinking funk/R&B trio The Family Stand, with the rest of the album filled out by work with the likes of Prince and Don Was. The results are miles ahead of not only her debut, but alot of what was out at the time, and the album still sounds fresh eleven years after its'release. Those who know just the singles should do some further investigating--other noteworthy tracks include the title track, 'My Foolish Heart','To You', and an out-of-left-field cover of John Hiatt's 'Alright Tonight'that actually works. It may have only sold half as many millions as FOREVER YOUR GIRL, and only had half as many number one singles,but there's no doubt that this stands head and shoulders over her debut.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nDoesn't Leave You "Spellbound", November 11, 2001\nReviewer: J. M. Zuurbier (Canada)\nPaula's sophomore album SPELLBOUND is a move in the right direction, its only problem is the filler tracks which we could have done without. However there are a lot of great songs here. This was released about three years after FOREVER YOUR GIRL, her successful debut album. Highlights include The Promise of a New Day, Will You Marry Me, her first ballad #1 Rush Rush, Blowing Kisses In The Wind, Spellbound, My Foolish Heart and a few others. However tracks which just sound out of place here are the ridiculously silly Alright Tonight, To You, Vibeology, etc. Anyways its a nice album, she may not have the strongest voice but she has some great dance music.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nSecond Time Slump, December 19, 2000\nReviewer: Kabir "kabitat@gmail.com"\n'Spellbound' was Paula's second album. and it went to No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart in the first week of release - surely an achievement. Her first album was one of the longest-staying Top 200 album hits in Billboard history, but this CD, though a pace-setter initially, failed to make it as big as 'Forever your Girl' did. Upon repeat listens, it becomes clear why.\nLets first start with the singles. There are two US No. 1 hit singles here. The first track 'The Promise of a new day' was a No. 1 hit, and is perhaps the most danceable song on the entire LP. Remember the video with its' emphasis on waterfalls, fields of green, and a near-nude Paula going through the paces? The proceeds from this single went to the 'Save the Rainforest' campaign, but thats another story.\n\n'Rockhouse' sounds more like something from Paula's 'Head Over Heels' album, and one that suggests Paula's lack of musical common sense. Tracks such as these were what closed her career, and 'Spellbound' suffers from quite a few of these, the most notable being 'Will you marry me?' - quite obviously the worst Paula Abdul track ever. \n\nCritics and fans remember this CD because of 'Rush Rush', a tender ballad that did its time at No. 1 on the US Charts, holding its' own at a time when Michael Jackson's 'Black or White' fought for No. 1 too. The song, with its violin crescendo has made its' mark as an alltime Hallmark classic, and has found its way onto obscure love-song compilations, thus eroding its' novelty and listenability (to me, at least!). The video featured Keanu Reeves, by the way, as Paula's boyfriend. A bit of useless trivia for you!\n\nAnother Top 10 hit here is 'Blowing Kisses in the wind' (the video had Paula as a ballet dancer) which is a nice enough song, but it comes so late through the album that by this time its difficult to begin caring.\n\nTurkeys? Well, this album has its' share of those! First up is 'Will you marry me?' which the record company released as a single (it flopped). Then theres the totally forgettable dance track called 'Vibeology', which Paula performed at the 1992 MTV Video music Awards. By that time, failure and depression had taken its' toll and she had gained weight and sang and danced off-key. This performance signalled the end of her career almost immediately, which is why its hard to listen to this track without feeling nostalgic, in a sad sense.\n\n'Alright Tonight' is one of those tracks that act as a filler. The Import edition of this CD had 'Goodnight, My love' as an extra track, which was actually one of the album's finest tracks, so its a shame that it doesnt feature on the US edition. Oh well.\n\nAt the end of it, its evident why Paula failed the way she did. This CD has its moments, and is a fine remnant of the 80's but it is also stark clear that fluff like this will sink and not stand the test of time. Paula's next CD 'Head over Heels' proved this. A better bet would be 'Greatest Hits' as all the better songs from this album are on it.\n\n\nHalf.com Industry Reviews\n3 Stars - Good ...clean, appealing, awfully cute and a little corny...it makes her bounciness even more appealing...\nRolling Stone (06/27/1991)
This rock cd contains 11 tracks and runs 49min 7sec.
Freedb: 830b810b
Buy: from Amazon.com

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