Customer Reviews

Do You

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Some 24 years later, this is one of my favorite Sheena albums. Sheena's vocals are always excellent and I think the pairing with producer, Nile Rodgers, made for a great mix. I often think that if certain music as this had gotten wider exposure, it would have sold a lot more copies than it did. Radio is conservative, in my opinion as to what they play. There should be stations that venture out of the safety box and make more great music known to the general population.

After the success of her previous album A PRIVATE HEAVEN, Sheena Easton apparently felt the need to follow it up with like-minded material. Enlisting Madonna's LIKE A VIRGIN producer and Chic mastermind Nile Rodgers, DO YOU is awash in what typified music of that era--alot of drum machines and synths. Unfortunately, like most of Easton's albums around that time, the music found within hasn't held up terribly well. The album builds alot on the sounds of the previous album, though it's a bit more upbeat, so it's somewhat surprising that it was a commercial failure. The set's first single, 'Do It For Love', may come off at first listen like a Madonna cast-off, but it remains not only one of Easton's most underrated singles, but the best track on the album. Among the other tracks, 'Don't Turn Your Back', Money Back Guarantee', and 'When The Lightning Strikes' leave the most lasting impression, but again, the slightly dated production detracts somewhat from the overall feel of the album. On a positive note, Easton's vocal work is first-rate,some of her best in fact. Overall, a pretty decent effort.

I have been a huge fan of Sheenas since the beginning. Do You was a wonderful change of direction in her career. We get to hear a more upbeat Sheena on this disc. Nile Rodgers proved to be an asset to this project. Any Sheena fan should be able to see the great tunes on this one. This catalogue of songs out shines Madonna in every way. There is no comparison of the two. Sheena has a beautiful voice, Madonna does not. This is one of those cds you can put in, and let it play all the way through.I highly recommend this one. Enjoy.

Here is another great cd from Sheena Easton at the time when this cd came out i was wishing that maybe she and Olivia Newton John would ever do an duet so far they haven't but this is indeed an great cd.

Rondall

This relaese by Sheena Easton came hot off the heels of her successful A PRIVATE HEAVEN album in the late fall of 1985. The project was produced by Nile Rogers who was the hot producer of the day given his monster success with Madonna's LIKE A VIRGIN album. Some of the music on this CD has a retro-60's feel to it (Jimmy Mack, Don't Break My Heart) that is similar to the sound Nile Rogers employed on Madonna's LIKE A VIRGIN album. It is obvious to the listener that LIKE A VIRGIN was on everybody's mind going into the making of this project. Sheena is a first-rate pop singer and it is evident on tracks like "Do It For Love", "Can't Wait Till Tomorrow", and the subtle scorcher "Kisses". Those tracks along with her cover of Martha & The Vandella's "Jimmy Mack" are among the best tracks on the album. The track "Magic of Love" is about 3 minutes too long and the very-80's sounding ballad "When The Lightening Strikes Again" are some of the albums weakest moments. The bonus tracks consist of extended versions of the track "Do It For Love" which actually sounds better in it's "single edit" form and not the ponderous extended versions offered here. Overall it is a strong set of songs for anyone who likes Sheena Easton.

This album deserved to be a smash. I can't believe I didn't even know it existed until recently. I've always loved Sheena's voice and had the pleasure of seeing her perform in Vegas (she is just as beautiful in person). I have a lot of her cds, but this one really stands out because of Nile Rodgers' superb production. It has a similar sound to another Nile Rodgers project, Madonna's Like a Virgin. "Can't Wait Till Tomorrow" has a relentless pop melody and frenzied guitars reminiscent of Madonna's "Dress You Up." But this isn't all derivative of Like a Virgin. Do You has its own unique sound, silky and sophisticated. The title track is irresistible and Sheena's vocals are solid as a rock. "Magic of Love" and "Kisses" add a sensual, down-tempo vibe to an otherwise energetic album. There isn't a weak track here. Do You has inspired me to explore more of Sheena's lesser-known catalog.

I really enjoy this album. The music is upbeat and very well done. Unlike what some other reviewers thought, I think this is a great display of Sheena's incredible vocals. Her previous albums tended to be a bit intense in their content. Here, the music is light and breezy. One reason may be that Sheena had just gotten married, so her wedded bliss, albeit temporary, may very well have influenced her musical choices.

I love the songs that give her voice a bit of a challenge. "Don't Turn Your Back" is one. "Jimmy Mack", a re-make was very well done; I love "Young Lions" and "When The Lightning Strikes", co-written by Dan Hartman, who brought us the '80's hit, "I Can Dream About You". "Money Back Guarantee" takes the romance out of love and reminds us of Pre-nups. Overall, I enjoyed this album.

"Do You" stands as Sheena Easton's finest album of her career, thanks mainly to three remarkable songs. "Do You", the song, is quite danceable, and flat-out enjoyable. "When the Lightening Strikes...", by Dan Hartman, is a standout track and quite unique in Ms. Easton's repertoire. "Kisses", by Larry Nacht, is reason alone to buy the album (it should have been a single!)- a sensual, mysterious song that cries out to be covered again by another great artist.

"Do You" is hands down my favorite Sheena Easton album to date, and the title song one of my favorite dance-pop tracks of all time, but they were both relative commercial disappointments (if you can call gold status disappointing) compared to her previous outings at the time of release in 1985. Therefore, I held little hope out that this pumpin' LP would see digital reissue, but EMI has seen fit to reissue the entire Easton catalog, including this Nile Rodgers helmed masterwork. Every song here is red hot and smokin', with bright, indelible melodies and sharp uptown arrangements, anchored by Sheena's most joyous wailing ever. The cover of Martha Reeves and the Vandella's "Jimmy Mack" is, for once, not superfluous; it holds its own with the state-of-the-art songs it is surrounded by. The Rodgers influence is heavily felt here; in fact, you could call this The Great Lost Chic Album, but with Sheena Easton on lead vocals. There is not one cut that falls below excellent on the entire album. Particular favorites are the ecstatic "Don't Break My Heart," smoky "Kisses" and sensual "Magic of Love;" the four dance remixes that make up the bonus cuts here are all highly listenable even away from the dance floor. This is the one Sheena Easton album that was truly ahead of its time.

The opinions of Sheena Easton fans are pretty much divided 50/50 when it comes to the album "DO YOU." The fans either LOVE IT or DISAPPROVE of it, yet it is too good a work for anyone to hate. I think the problem with this division is not the work, but the mindset of the listener. Too often fans of an artist get "stuck" in one perception of an artist, and wind up reacting instead of receiving. Just like the actor/actress who gets "typecast," musical artists have to fight to break through the limitations set by fans' and record companies' expectations of who the artist is. In turn, the fans and record companies should be listening to the artist tell THEM who the artist is. The artist is, if we are lucky, a growing, evolving human being, and their work should be viewed in the same light. That temporary exploration and periodic return to the "expected" is what keeps an artist and their work from stagnating.

"DO YOU" is Sheena Easton's best work, not only vocally but also technically. Nile Rodgers' choice of instruments, arrangements, and other production elements, along with Sheena Easton's exquisite vocal abilities make this a superior 80's POP/ROCK/R&B album, NOT a superior ADULT CONTEMPORARY album like Sheena's 1987 album "No Sound But A Heart," or 1993's "No Strings." If fans only want that kind of material, that's what they should play on their stereo, and stop complaining about the certain works that don't "meet their expectations." It would stand to reason that a fan of an artist would, at least, support the works of said artist which might not exactly be his or her favorite. I like the music so much that I would like it even if it were just an instrumental Nile Rodgers album.

My favorite tracks are the xylophone-laden "Do It For Love," the frenetic "Don't Break My Heart," the intense rocker "Don't Turn Your Back," the perky cover of the Motown classic, "Jimmy Mack," the smooth-funk "Can't Wait Til Tomorrow," and the best track, "When The Lightning Strikes Again." On the original release, "When The Lightning Strikes Again," written by Dan Hartman, was the last track on the album/CD. It builds with each prominent instrument added, layer upon layer, in the first minute or so, before Sheena Easton's vocal track begins. It should have been released as a single, and could have been the big crossover single that radio would have eaten up. It's a GREAT MELODY, and would have played well on POP/ROCK, R&B, and ADULT CONTEMPORARY radio stations alike. Over time, it has become my favorite individual track from Sheena Easton's entire span of work.

Check it out. If it's not your style, that's fine---just switch to another Sheena CD that is more "up your alley" (see the back cover graphics).