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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Say what planet have I been on", April 20, 2004
I first heard Nik Kershaw's 15 Minutes CD at a listening station at a record store when it first came out. I am not a big fan of his, but I remember him from the early/mid 1980s and was interested in what he was doing currently. Boy, was I surprised. The first track is unbelievably catchy. The chorus is wonderful. "Have a Nice Life" is nice in a sing-along sort of way. "Find Me an Angel" is hauntingly beautiful. "Your Brave Face" is an addictive rocker. "What Do You Think of It So Far?" has one of the best choruses I've heard in a long time. "God Bless" is a different-sounding song with some interesting, and strangely familiar, guitar work. "Fiction" is a pleasant, slow number with more nice acoustic guitar and lyrics like: "If they made a film of the book of the memory with Bobby De Niro and Demi De Moore, you'd sit in your seat with your popcorn and chocolate, and wonder aloud at the point of it all." The heavy sounding chorus to "Made in Heaven" makes the song. "Shine On" is adequate but "15 Minutes" is an excellent ending, I especially like the synthesizer/orchestra part. Almost every track here is excellent. The only track I do not care for as much is "Billy" which seems like overly forced story-telling about a girl looking for Mr. Right and falls for a boy wanting numerous Mrs. Rights. It is cute, though, and I think a lot of people will like it. As one might guess, I bought this CD right after leaving the listening station, and only when I got home to listen to it on my stereo did I discover that this CD does not end with "15 Minutes" but includes a bonus remake of Kershaw's early 1980s hit "Wouldn't It Be Good." I was very happy to hear this song, as it was the track I most remember from Nik Kershaw's 1980s output. It is slower rendition of the song with acoustic guitar. It is not as good as the original, of course, but it was still a welcomed surprise. 13 quality tracks! I would not be surprised if Kershaw's most devoted fans call 15 Minutes his best album.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As good as ever, January 10, 2000
I *knew* there was a reason I liked Nik Kershaw. You're always looking back at your past and thinking "Are my memories coated with nostalgia?" After crossing my fingers as I slid the CD into the player, I found that I love Nik's new work just as much as ever. Clever and real lyrics, great melodies & unique chord progressions that few people could pull off so cleanly. All his songs have a very strong sense of purpose; unlike a lot of pop, Nik's songs progress and don't just "get into a groove". His earlier idealism seems to have been softened a bit; his song "God Bless" has both the lyric "Heaven help old Joseph Bloggs in his cardboard box" and "God bless the stock exchange". However, songs like "Your Brave Face" seem to just be a recycling of his thoughts in "She Cries". Generally, though, his themes are modern, such as "Billy", a wonderful study in the difficulties in marriage; and "How Do You Like It So Far", a statement about ones dreams and accomplishments in life. "Have a Nice Life" is a wonderful father-to-son tribute, and the opening song "Somebody Loves You" is not only a great piece of pop, but also allows "15 Minutes" (the song and the album) to come full circle cleanly. The early part of the album is just superb, but the latter part drags a bit. Unlike his earlier albums, there aren't many change-ups in style and tempo between songs. However, still one of the best albums I own, and one of Nik's best ever. There's no nostalgia at work here -- he *is* that good.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a comeback, December 8, 2002
Even though Nik Kershaw was something of a one-hit wonder in the United States (with "Wouldn't It Be Good"), he actually landed many hit singles in the UK. My family got hooked on his albums in the 80s. After his first two albums, his sales faltered, ending with the tragically ignored _The Works_ in 1989. For ten years, Nik Kershaw didn't release any new albums, although he did produce several other artists, lending his writing talents, and had a few "featuring" positions on some lesser-known artists. Unknown to the public -- and certainly unknown in the States -- Nik had suffered badly from his meteoritic rise to fame and fortune and the sudden deflating of his "15 minutes." This 1999 release, so appropriately titled, essentially consists of material he worked on over the ten year gap since his last album -- as he put it, it was material too personal to really lend to other artists, and it was more of a healing process than a commercial effort. It's obviously Nik Kershaw, but he's moved on from the 80s and the obvious pain that the "one hit wonder" branding caused him. Every single track on this album is outstanding and not to be missed.
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