Customer Reviews

Exotica

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

 

 

After another long absence, Bananarama have once again returned with EXOTICA. Originally conceived as a sort of retrospective (rumored to be titled 'Twenty Years')with all new remixes of old hits, Keren and Sara whittled the remixes down to their four biggest hits and included eight brand new songs. Here is a brief review of each track:

1. "If" - With sultry lyrics, a catchy chorus, varying rhythms and a stomping dance beat, this is a great opener and one of the best songs on the CD.

2. "Starz" - This song is a bit of a grower. The chorus is again quite catchy and gets stuck in your head. However, the song would have benefitted from a clearer stylistic point of view. With more of a euro-pop flavor, Starz would sound like a peppy, fun S Club 7 or Steps tune. Or, by playing up the disco bass line and faintly noticeable wah-wah guitar and adding strings, this could have been a great retro-sounding 70s disco song. Instead, the song ends up being okay, but not great.

3. "What You Gonna Do" - This is another highlight of the album. A moody, atmospheric, down-tempo song that is miles away from the sunny, bouncy S/A/W hits of yore. Mature Bananarama at their best.

4. "Cruel Summer" - A well-conceived latin flavored reworking of their classic hit complete with additional lyrics and clever arrangements.

5. "Crazy" - Another standout track. Again, slowing down the tempo, this is almost a ballad but with lyrics like "I'm sick and tired of you/and everything you say/and everything you do/get out of my face/because you're crazy". Instead of a bold, declarative tone, these lines are unexpectedly delivered in a sing-song, almost mantra-like way that surprisingly works.

6. "Boom" - A serious disappointment. A demo version of this song has been circulating via the internet since '97. Although lacking in production values, the original incarnation of the song had a campy, brash feel to it and a great bridge with Sara slyly singing "Come on over here and let me feel just how much you really want me." In the new version, the bridge is gone and the song seems overproduced with the attitude of the original version completely gone. Effort is made to give the song some edge with a funky, Prince-like guitar but to no avail.

7. "Robert de Niro's Waiting" - A very different take on the original classic hit. A shuffly groove, more contemplative, brooding vocals, and electronic sounds. A vocoder is used on Keren's vocal which actually does work with the quirky digital bleeps and tones. (It's unfortunate that the vocoder has become so trendy that even Faith Hill has used it because ultimately, it will make this track sound dated. However, I personally think it's use in this recording seems appropriate in context rather than gratitous.)

8. "Careless Whisper" - A cover of the old Wham tune. Interesting in conception and in some ways an improvement (gone is the cheesy saxaphone) but the vocals seem out of step at times and extrememly awkard during the "Tonight the music seems so loud. . ." portion of the song. Although this is the song being promoted in France as the first single, Keren and Sara would be wise to reconsider releasing this internationally. ("If" gets my pick for best potential for a hit and would be a great debut single.)

9. "Sleep" - another major disappointment. As with "Boom", a demo of this made its way around the internet and was superior to this new version. The lyrics and melody have a kind of despondent, bittersweetness to them and the demo version musically supported this mood. The new version inexplicably tries to marry the original vocals with a sort of R & B groove that simply doesn't work. Virtually unlistenable.

10. "I Heard A Rumour" - This is a decent update on the original and better than the "Corporation of Bananarama" remix that surface in '89. The vocoder on this one doesn't seem necessary though and isn't effective the way it is on Robert De Niro's Waiting.

11. "Got A Thing For You" - This has a classic R & B flavor to it with a bit of an All Saints vibe. Almost reminiscent of an old Marvin Gaye type of song but with an electronic twist to it. An interesting grower of a song.

12. "Venus" - Bananarama's original rendition of this song will always be the best, no way around it. However, this version has its merits. It has a hypnotic groove and some minor key synth sounds lend a slightly spooky tone. This one doesn't make you want to get up and dance, maybe just stand and sway.

Here it is, Bananarama's first CD since the disappointing Ultra Violet in 1995. Exotica is packed with great new pop tunes and reinventions of four old ones.

Exotica has great production, under the direction of French dance producer Pascal Caubet.

My personal favorites are the upbeat "Starz" and the house influenced "If". I also love the reinventions of "I Heard A Rumour" with its pounding bassline and the latin feel of "Cruel Summer".

I highly recommend this CD. It is my favorite Bananarama Cd since Pop Life in 1991.

Bananarama is back after 5 years with a new album that has great new songs as well as 4 redone hits of their past success.

Their last CD Ultra Violet as thrashed as it has been was a great dance album making the floors of many discos in Europe and also in the US quite hot on the dance scene.

This Album Exotica has a different format making it quite versatile and atractive for all audiences.

I rate it a five star. My favorite songs are Cruel Summer, IF, Careless Whispers, I heard a rumour, Starz and What you gonna do? Boom is also a catchy tune that went around as a demo since 1997 and finally made it out for everyone to enjoy.

I recommend this album very strongly.

I HAVE JUST RECEIVED MY COPYOF EXOTICA. ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW!.EVERY TRACK HAS A PLACE OF PRIDE TO ADD TO MY BACK CATALOGUE OF NANA SONGS. MY FAVORITE HAS TO BE IF WHAT A SONG!. A MESAGE TO BRITISH RECORD LABELS SIGN THE NANAS AND HAVE A HIT ALBUM ON YOUR BOOKS .

I bought this CD on a whim chance that it would be good. As the first track started, I was totally hooked. A cool Euro/Disco tempo with a Banana feel. Of course, this CD has remixes of the girl's most popular songs. Though I must admit, I prefer the new tracks over the remixes. Some of the remixes are bit much. Not horrible, just not what I was looking for. That is the only reason I am rating this CD at a 4 and not a 5. On a side note, when my friends had heard I purchased this CD, they all laughed. But once they finally heard it, they all wanted copies of their own.

This one took a few listens to grow on me, and I'm a VERY big fan of the gals. However, I really like it now. They are pretty heavy into the techno-sound now. The remakes of old songs are to be viewed as playing around and experimentation. If you don't expect an "improvement" on the originals, you won't be disappointed. Just look at them as fun remixes. Overall, I like "If" and "Crazy" probably the best. But Boom is also quite good. I didn't care for the Careless Whisper cover. They rushed it a bit. I would rather have heard more of a slow "Through a Child's Eyes"-theme applied to it. All in all, worth the money to get in the US. Why they didn't release here is not known, but their die-hard fans have to get this one too. Keep it up Sarah and Keren!! Hi to all the fans on the e-groups list, I'm sure you found this.

The Banana's are back. I bought this cd when it was only available in France! Try remembering your high school French. It was totally worth it!! Great New Songs, Fresh Remixes of some classics! Thanks Girls...looking forward to more, more, more!

Originally conceived by Karen Woodward and Sara Dallan as 'The 20 Years' project, but cut down by record executives to a collection of new remakes of classic hits and a few 'new' tracks. Currently available as an import from France.

1) 'IF' the first track on the album is all new. It is currently circulating in France as a promotional one track single. This song has great potential if REMIXED. As it stands on the album, the track isn't bad but suffers from strong production and poorly recorded vocals. Filter the vocals and remix the track and we have a potential single on our hands.

2) 'Starz' is another all new track. An attempt to recapture pre SAW Bananarama, but it falls short. The vocals are keroake style. A shame...again with stronger production this might have been a great song.

3) 'What You Gonna Do?' is an older track that has been on the internet as a demo since 1996. It resurfaces on this album exactly as it sounded then. A terrific song, sultry, slow and sexy.

4)'Cruel Summer' is a latin, reggae remake of the old classic from 1984. This is the second time the girls have redone this one. The first was in 1989 with Jacquie. This new version is OK. I didn't like it much. They have added some silly extra lyrics into the track.

5)'Crazy' is a track that was part of a demo from 1996. It is unchanged here. Classic bananarama. I wonderful song.

6) 'Boom' is off a 1996 demo. It is unchanged here. Not bad. Not great. Vocals are good, but silly lyrics.

7)'Robert de Niro' is a new remake of the classic from 1984. Slow and robotic with heavy use of a voice decoder (very trendy i guess). Not a good direction for this classic to be going into.

8) 'Careless Whisper' is a cover of the classic by Wham. George Michael would die if he heard this. It is terrible. The record label insisted on using this track as the first promo single in France. Radio stations rejected it for good reason. The vocals are off and the music sounds very very cheap and out of place. The vocals become unbearable during 'tonite the music is so loud'...very disppointing. It is unlistenable.

9)'Sleep' is new. Not bad. A grower. Slow paced and melodic.

10) 'I Heard a Rumour' is a remake of their classic 1986 hit. This time the beat is harder, voice decorder is used in some parts. Not a big improvement over the original or the 1989 'Corporation of Bananarama Remix', but still a great mix.

11)'Venus' is a remake of the 1986 original and the 1989 remix. This version is rather slow and sexy. Vocals are lower in tone.

I've been with them since Deep Sea Skiving all though to Diva. But really what were they thinking? They didn't have enough material for a whole album, so they remade, redubbed, & really got it all wrong. I was probably looking forward most to their version of Careless Whisper. It was horrible & unrecognizable at first. Slowing down an already slow song? That was careless & barely a whisper. Who's idea was that? Strike one.
Then the anticipated remakes of Cruel Summer, Robert DeNiro's Waiting, I Heard A Rumor, & Venus.
First Cruel Summer, a reluctant reggae like, again slowed down, version with some added lyrics. No Mon.
Another smash-up with a slower, boring, no need to redo version of Robert DeNiro's waiting. Softer voices aren't always sultry.
I Heard A Rumor was a great song & big hit that needed no more work done to it. The reworking was boring again!
There's strike 2.
And strike 3: And VENUS? How many versions do you need of want of this Classic Bananarana song? The song one thinks of first when they think of Bananarama. And who can forget that amazing video that holds up to anything Gaga or Perry today.
I was so disappointed with these disasters that I don't even remember any of the other songs, which may be halfway decent.
I really believe what's missing from these reworkings is the much more interesting and soulful voice of Siohban Fahey. I think they were trying to see if less Fahey would help their carved in stone earlier hits.
Siohban Fahey's band, Shakespears Sister is much deeper. But I've always hung in with both groups. The Ramas took the short cut & it didn't work this time.

The music sounded too electronic, and the girls' voices seemed to take a back seat to this kind of sound. About half the songs are remakes of thier previous hits. Problem is that these songs are not equal to, or better than, the originals. Sadly, I couldn't find any real redeeming value to this disc at all.