Customer Reviews

Animal Logic

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought the CD in 1990 purely on the strength of Stuart Copeland's and Stanley Clarke's reputations. I wasn't disappointed. I can't say that I love every song on the album, but with the kind of musicianship I expect (and get!) from Copeland & Clarke, every song is at least interesting. They arranged & produced the album, and it shows in the quality of the production and the music.

There are a few songs that will absolutely grab you right from the first listen: "There's a Spy (In the House of Love)"; "Someday We'll Understand"; "As Soon As The Sun Goes Down"; "Firing up the Sunset Gun". They're dynamic, well-conceived, well-produced, but you could say that about a lot of tunes by a lot of artists; the real quality of these tunes is that they are MELODIC, a characteristic that seems to be lacking in so much music that is otherwise...uh, flawless, I guess. I won't name names, but everybody has heard the stuff I'm talking about... music that is technically superb, but it has no fire. The four tunes listed above don't have that affliction. You will catch yourself humming them after you've heard them.

Deborah Holland's voice has great range and power, and blends well with itself. (She had to sing all the harmonies; despite her pleadings, Copeland & Clarke steadfastly refused to sing on the album.) Elsewhere in these reviews, others have noted that you will either love her voice or hate it. Maybe so; her voice is very distinctive, so I suppose that automatically invokes personal preference as a factor. Personally, I like her voice... a lot.

Of the songs I've mentioned above, "Sunset Gun" is the best. It covers such a phenomenal range of emotion and dynamics. It's a simple melodic structure, but it's so well crafted that it seems to be much more. I found the chords on the guitar, and it's dirt simple; but it's got enough surprises in its arrangement and progression that you never lose interest for all its simplicity. The little shot of inside harmony vocal on Verse 2 "You can be safe from it..." is pure inspired genius. The 4-chord-add-9 at the end of the bridge is brilliant, and the vocal fade into reverb-space falls out beautifully into Clarke's bass solo, punctuated by Copeland's explosive drumbursts. It's a truly masterful piece of work.

As for the rest of the tunes, they're all well crafted, if not as catchy on first listen. This is an album that will grow on you if you give it a chance, which might sound like damning with faint praise, but I don't know any other way to tell it. That's exactly the way it happened for me. It's a solid four stars.

...still a little disappointing given the talents involved. Deborah Holland has a voice you will either enjoy or it will grate on your nerves very quickly. She writes some interesting material, however, which makes these songs a cut above your typical pop fare. Still, it feels as if Copeland and Clarke are holding back considerably, especially when compared to more interesting stuff they do musically on "Animal Logic II" which I consider definitely the superior album.

Get the second album instead. If you have the second album, you may be a little disappointed with this one.

This is a trio of jazz bassist Stanley Clark (Return to Forever), drummer Stewart Copeland (of Police fame, but got started in Curved Air and had many interesting jazz projects) and singer/songwriter Deborah Holland. There are some guest musicians, including Steve Howe on one track. This CD was released in 1989. It is only 38 minutes long (which is too long in some parts). The sound quality is very good, especially for a CD released in 1989.

The CD starts out well and ends very well. I found the middle a little hard to get through.

On this CD, many of the songs are very similar, and are overwhelmed by Holland's vocals. She is not a bad singer and her vocals are very enjoyable over half of the CD. It is just that they drone on through a number of songs. It gets bad in the very middle with "As Soon As the Sun Goes Down", "I Still Feel for You" and ending with the grating "Elijah".

The second CD (Animal Logic II) is so much better. The songs have more depth and there is more variety. Both Stewart and Clark (especially Clark) contribute more to the music. Holland's vocal talents are much better utilized and she show a much broader range. The worst song on that CD is as good as the best song on this CD.

I don't hate this album, which is why I gave it 3 stars. I just don't think it comes close to second album. And there are some songs on it that I really don't like. When I rip this to iTunes, I am only going to rip 5 of the songs. With the second album, I will rip the whole thing.

DEBORAH HOLLAND is a musical genius. Her gifts are effortless, and her authenticity in her voice and style is palpable. Great Album - i continue to listen to it often no matter it's original date!

I discovered Animal Logic right after their 2nd album came out way back in 1991. Like most folks back then and unfortunately, even today, I had never heard of them before. But when I saw that Stewart Copeland was in the band, I just had to take a chance & see what they were all about. Well, i'm sure glad that I did cuz they are now one of my all time fav bands & this album is a true masterpiece of rock/jazz fusion. Their sound was very unique sounding and it is kind of a cross between jazz, rock, pop, country & it even has a lil bluegrass thrown in as well. Stewart's drumming is 2nd to none & Stanley Clarke is a very impressive bassist. I was also impressed with Deborah Holland's vocals & songwriting abilities as well. Also worth mentioning is the very impressive Michael Thompson who blew me away with some of the coolest and fastest guitar work i've ever heard. The album itself is produced very well & is full of potential hit singles. It's loaded with lush beautiful melodies, fast upbeat tempos, interesting vocals & really catchy songs that are performed by very skilled musicians. This begs the question, why the heck weren't any of these great songs ever on the radio??? Even "Spy in the House of Love" & "Rose Colored Glasses" were hardly ever played on radio stations or VH1. Had this group been promoted & backed by their label a little bit more, they'd surely gone on to do more albums & tours and probably would have also gotten much more success & recognition as well. Oh well, at least there are a few lucky people (like myself) who have this album & it's sequel and have been able to enjoy it's treasures over the years. Hopefully, those who haven't experienced this group yet will give it a listen because I can almost guarantee you won't be dissapointed.

I can't believe that this album isn't made anymore. New copies go for 100's of dollars, and it's worth it. This group made a CD that haunts, inspires, and brings together a set of songs that can't ever be repeated. Their second album flopped, but this one will forever remain in my list of 'albums I must have'.

I discovered Animal Logic right after their 2nd album came out way back in 1991. Like most folks back then and unfortunately, even today, I had never heard of them before. But when I saw that Stewart Copeland was in the band, I just had to take a chance & see what they were all about. Well, i'm sure glad that I did cuz they are now one of my all time fav bands & this album is a true masterpiece of rock/jazz fusion. Their sound was very unique sounding and it is kind of a cross between jazz, rock, pop, country & it even has a lil bluegrass thrown in as well. Stewart's drumming is 2nd to none & Stanley Clarke is a very impressive bassist. I was also impressed with Deborah Holland's vocals & songwriting abilities as well. Also worth mentioning is the very impressive Michael Thompson who blew me away with some of the coolest and fastest guitar work i've ever heard. The album itself is produced very well & is full of potential hit singles. It's loaded with lush beautiful melodies, fast upbeat tempos, interesting vocals & really catchy songs that are performed by very skilled musicians. This begs the question, why the heck weren't any of these great songs ever on the radio??? Even "Spy in the House of Love" & "Rose Colored Glasses" were hardly ever played on radio stations or VH1. Had this group been promoted & backed by their label a little bit more, they'd surely gone on to do more albums & tours and probably would have also gotten much more success & recognition as well. Oh well, at least there are a few lucky people (like myself) who have this album & it's sequel and have been able to enjoy it's treasures over the years. Hopefully, those who haven't experienced this group yet will give it a listen because I can guarantee you won't be dissapointed. So basically, to sum it all up, if you are a fan of Copeland, Clarke or Holland or are a fan of great pop or funky jazz, you can't go wrong with this album or it's followup cuz they never feel dated or stale and are a joy to listen to.

Intelligent sophisticated pop from a female singer-songwriter (Deborah Holland) backed by a muscular rhythm section of ex-Police drummer Stewart Copeland and virtuoso jazz bassist Stanley Clarke. Stronger songwriting than on the follow-up, Animal Logic II. No animals were injured making the cover photograph.

First heard of Animal Logic through VH1, I believe (yes, they did promote the band a little bit, back then). I enjoyed this CD very much back in the early 1990's, but it got shelved for many years until recently.

First off, it still sounds fantastic - even more so because my audio equipment has improved over time. I've always loved the vocals, but now Copeland's and Clark's contributions stand out even more than when I first heard it. And there's really no filler material, imo - it's very easy to get lost in the music and let it play all the way through. As others have mentioned, it's a pop album but it does add some jazz fusion - so YMMV on whether you'd like this particular type of sound.

I would also recommend their second album - perhaps not as "pop" as this one, but still a great listen. It's a shame that, as of this writing, this CD is not available. But, perhaps it can be found in your used record store or eBay.

I'm really not into her vocals but I am in to drums and bass, especially Stewart Copland as I do have all Police albums. If you appreciate good drumming and bass playing than you definitely need this album. Trying listening to it on a NAD C272.