lundi 1 octobre 2007

Peter Wilson’s Invitation to Follow Him

Tonight when coming back from work I had a great surprise in my post, Pete Wilson's CD album I ordered on line a couple of weeks ago on www.klonerecords.com.


I already knew some of its songs from recent Klone compilations and I have been totally in love with Forum-pal produced I love you unashamed. I knew I wouldn't be deceived by the other tracks from the snippets I listened to on the site and from now on, after two listens, I AM NOT :)

First, it's a worth-buying-it CD as there are 18 tracks on it, 4 full length tracks and 14 radio edits ones. Most of it is pure 90's inspired dance/pop and it's a total good energy music injection you get while pumpin' the volume of your hi-fi UP!

I love you unashamed
stand here right in the middle in its original radio edit, while the CD closes with a club remix of it for party people, and still no other songs has made itself a place in my heart as prefered Peter Wilson's song ever ...YET, but lots are in pole position for gettin' to it!

The CD opens with 4 wonderful tracks, the David Wilks penned In my dreams and the Fancy cover version, all in full length glory, of Follow me. Then comes a radio friendly sure-to-be-a-hit Boney M Daddy Cool sampled Doin' fine followed by Best years of my life, the latest of them being kind of PWL flavoured.

Then comes Seven sins and the tempos slows down a little, the temperature's rising and some moist sexiness invades the blasters as Peter croones some new wavesque electro pop that sounds different from the pure happiness that we left with the opening tracks and this 5th track starts a new 4 tracks chapter in his album. Your love is my light, Wait by the radio and High on it are following and there are more ambiant synth saves, hypnotic loops there though the rhythm keeps increasing back with High on it, that features some disco bells, before reaching my beloved pop anthem.

Don't cry tonight
, Peter co-wrote (like lots of other songs here) with producers Steen 'Luv U Unashamed' Ulrich & Chris Richards, keeps up with pop style and I hear a track the Steps guys could have sung.

Then Chemical reaction takes me back to a cold wave inspired haunting mid-tempo with a chorus makin' me think of Samantha Fox's Touch me in some bits, with the same sexiness in musical arrangements as there was in Seven sins, surely some magic touch of same producer Chris Richards.

Track 12 is the album's ballad and... well, I must admit, it's not my cup of tea. Dare I say it's like the commercial pause in a good Hollywood film, time for a break in a good party album ? Backing vocal arrangements are very good here or at least, their beautiful harmony remains long after the song. The melody is nice, the vocals good but the tempo's not here and my feet needto beat the floor in rhythm so maybe it'll take me longer to get into this :).

Lucky me, the following song, Don't go away, is another highlight of the album and it kicks in with speedy rhythm, 80's inspired dance/pop with some wonderful retro vocal effect like I cherished in my best SAW/PSB 1988/89 productions. Once more, David Wilks is on writing/production duties so I should check out what other work he has done recently cos it's pure heaven !

Best love you never had
brings us back in the 2000's with Peter singing with his sexier voice of the album. I'd surely believe he could be the best love I ever had if he whispered these lyrics in my ears... em em! Back to the song, good rhythm, filtered disco housed arrangements, another favourite of mine. Isn't this the tenth or so?

Track 15 starts and ...SAW are back!
Not those who recently tried to chart with The Sheilas' (I'm so) Happy happy (you're mine), no! The real ones, those who knew how to program synthes to create a pure hi-NRG wall of sound a la Dead Or Alive. Whisper to a scream clocks in at 5:11 but there's no boring at all ! Backing vocalist Sophie Clarke is featured on the lead in some little bridge in pure Sandra style (except it was a male vocal featured on her singles) and this one sure will finish with some REPEAT button overpushed!

Rob Technic then pushes Peter into nearly Benassi styles territory with Rocket to your heart, which sounds a little out of place in this whole 80's/90's tribute anthology of today's pop-dance anthems. A little too hardstyled for me too... and Pete's vocals are too vocoderized too. The second time around, I couldn't help pushin' the skip button because NOW COMES THE STOCK AITKEN & WATERMAN sounding special dedicace !!

PWL Hit Factory Forum's resident danish Stoney has taken over Peter's first single I wanna dance and has build a 2007 remix that sounds like it is 1990 all over again, and SAW would have produced some PWL remix for Mr. Wilson between aussie fellas Jason D & Miss Kylie :) A real treasure!
I just noticed that Steen's studios are named "Sanctuary Studios"... I can't see nothing but some link to PWL's promo/underground label of 1993 or so :)
Finally comes Willie2400's remix of I love you... you must know now... I've said it all about this song.

So I guess all is said and done except I got to think before going to sleep taking this CD from my hi-fi player to have it in my car to go to work tomorrow morning. I gotta listen to it one more time ...and again... and again, soon. Best addictive sh*t since, well, Kylie's Fever CD? Maybe... Only time will tell so check it out by yourselves!