Customer Reviews

Exposure

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Call this a variant of the Florida dance-pop sound, with three cute singers, one white (Ann Curless), one Italian (Gioia Bruno), one Latina (Jeanette Jurado). In terms of really upbeat, they borrow from Miami Sound Machine's Latin rhythms, but producer Lewis Martinee saturates it with dance beats and keyboard synths to really make Exposure, the trio's debut album, a non-stop party save two heartfelt ballads.

The first single, "Come Go With Me" is about a girl inviting her loved one to play as hard as he works before he loses her. I mean, "Come go with me/Come go with me/I'll take you by the hand/And we'll find another land" sounds pretty inviting to me, both as a single (#4) and an invitation. "Two hearts in one/eternal through the night..." yeah, I'll go for that.

The slightly slower "Let Me Be The One" made it to #7, has a prominent Latin backbeat and string-like synths coming into play while the girls sing.

A shimmering harp-like synth introduces "Exposed To Love" before launching into the usual Martinee sound, only this one is more full of spirit than any of the songs here. Why wasn't this a single?

The first of two wonderful ballads here, "Seasons Change", went to #1 on the pop charts, but this sweet but downbeat number, with its string-like backing synths and sax solo has been one of the songs on my personal soundtrack for many years running, particularly thus: "It feels, like it's forever/No reason for emptiness/But time just runs away/No more day by day/You dream and yearn and seize the day when seasons change." That same harp-like synth shimmers before Jeanette launches into that final chorus repeat.

"Extra Extra" opens with a piano then goes into a funky something that the Cover Girls might have done in "Because Of You", except more positive in spirit. "Love Is Our Destiny" barely avoids being filler because it maintains an upbeat edge to it.

It's that opening "Axel F"-like synth on "Point Of No Return" repeated later on that finally got me to get this album. However, the CD version is a different remix with different percussion, not like the one I had on cassette. It's the 3:25 single version and not the full-fledged 5:20 as it says on the CD. Call this song a cross between early Madonna and Miami Sound Machine, this single is one of the best tracks on the album. Nice heart-warming lyric: "And when you smile/It warms my heart and me."

A thumping drumbeat heralds "I Know You Know" before quick tempo keyboards and bass synths take over. This is like early Madonna laced with the Martinee pop sound. One of the more upbeat tracks. That is followed by "You're The One I Need" with a running tempo synth This particular song is a great candidate for an 80's dance mix tape.

The final song and ballad, "December" shows once again that despite having passable but not superlative voices, the girls can bring emotion into a sad number without spoiling the sound. After a lengthy keyboard intro, the sad piano comes in, and the song about lost love blues aggravated by that time of the year, "the time when I spend all my hours in fear" comes with the winter month. The pain in this song is really apparent: "It's the same old pattern/That never dies/I can't seem to leave behind/This emptiness inside my mind/There's a mist in the air/And the feeling is there/Keeps me dreaming of you/It just isn't fair/I don't know why you went away."

String-like synths add to this mournful tune, which barely edges out "Seasons Change" as my favorite here.

At the end, Jeanette repeatedly sings, "December once again/Why'd you have to go away?" and "Memories will never fade". Sometimes, it is that way for people, I guess.

Much of the lyrics are insubstantial, but the bouncy positive sound more than compensates for that. A most substantial contribution to 80's dance.

This is a great album from one of the most underrated girl groups in the 1980s' although they had 8 straight top 10 hits, this album doesn't miss a beat. "Come Go With Me" the first single was a breakthrough hit landing in the top 5 and got this group off and running and the hits just kept coming from this album, next came another big hit "Point Of No Return" which also hit the top 10, next came probably my favorite Expose song "Let Me Be The One" which hit #8, I just love this song the girls' voices on this song is terrific, and the video is so sexy, and next came their first and only #1 hit "Seasons Change" showing a wonderfully softer side of Expose, and the dance hit "Exposed To Love" a song where we get a rare listen to Ann Curless' voice, but to stop there is wrong with "You're The One I Need", this is a great song, and the beautiful "December", this album put Jeanette Juardo, Ann Curless and Gioia Bruno on the map their second album was also a big hit producing 4 more top 10 hits, but on their next and last album they ran out of steam and because on that last album Gioia had to bow out because of a voice problem, but she is singing now. I am hoping for an Expose comeback, but it probably will not happen, but then again there is always hope.

There are some real gems on this album and out of the three albums that Expose released, this is by far my favourite. Stand out tracks for me are "Seasons Change" performed by Jeanette and "Let Me Be The One" performed by Gioia. They really are very talented vocalists and it's good that this album has managed to stand the test of time.

For Expose and Gioia fans still out there, Gioia released her first solo debut album on Koch Records entitled "Expose This" (available here at Amazon.com) on July 13, 2004 which really is a fantastic album and Gioia sounds even better now than she did back then. There's a bit of everything contained on her debut solo album: dance, trance, Latin and soul and she's also co-written several tracks, which only confirms how talented she really is.

For Gioia fans, I also thought the following information might be helpful to you as besides her new album "Expose This", various tracks by Gioia have been released on compilation albums (nearly all available here at Amazon.com as well) as follows (with latest release at the top going through to oldest release at the end of this list):-

Wreckin' My Nerves - Chris Cox Club Mix (9:00) can be found on WHITE PARTY USA VOL 2 - $23.99 (release by Dance Street due on December 21, 2004) - this track was previously unreleased and therefore it's a wonderful surprise to find this fantastic track appearing on a compilation album;

Be Mine - DJ Strobe Turn The Party Out Remix (7:32 approx) can be found on TOP SHELF VOL 1 - $13.99 (released by Koch Records on November 23, 2004) - so far, this song has been unreleased as a CD maxi single but this track (along with other mixes) should by now be available for download on iTunes. If not, then snap it up on this compilation album;

Dreamin' Again - can be found on Will To Power's SPIRIT WARRIOR album (released 2004 I think) which is unavailable here but is available at Will To Power's website. This song was co-written by Gioia and is fairly Latin Freestyle based and is a really good track to add to your collection;

From The Inside - Bastone & Burnz Remix can be found on NIGHT OF BAD BEHAVIOR - $12.98 (released by Koch Records on June 8, 2004) - again, a previously unreleased track commercially;

From The Inside - Junior Vasquez Extended Mix (10:00 approx) can be found on QUEER AS FOLK THIRD SEASON $14.99 (released by Tommy Boy on May 20, 2003) - again, a previously unreleased track commercially;

Free To Be - Liquid 360 Anthem - can be found on MASTERBEAT: WHITE PARTY 2002 - $18.98 (released by Master Entertainment on March 26, 2002) - this was previously released, but the maxi single that this mix (amongst others) featured on (along with the excellent track "You Don't Have To Be Lonely") is probably extremely hard to find now.

Apologies if I've missed any tracks out, but if you're a huge Gioia fan like me, then hopefully this will be helpful to you anyway. Please, please support Gioia by buying her music whenever you can as she's truly an outstanding and very talented artist and deserves massive recognition. [...]

Expose is one of my all time favorite groups, I really wish that they were still around. This is their first CD and it is full of great songs, there is not a bad one on here. Most of their biggest hits are from this CD, Point of No Return, Come Go With Me, Let Me Be the One, Exposed to Love, Seasons Change. But all the songs are really good, this is one of the few CD's I own that I can listen and enjoy each song without skipping any of them. My personal favorites are Point of No Return, Exposed to Love and December.

Personally I think this is their best CD, although their other ones are quite good as well, it's hard to believe that this is 18 years old, it's sounds as good to me today as it did back then. As another reviewer said, it's infectious with a capital "I".

In 1985, the group Expose' released two successful club singles, "Point Of No Return" and "Exposed To Love." Both tracks were refreshing, lively and upbeat: combining the genre of freestyle with distinct keyboard riffs, sing along choruses and the spice of Latino flavor to complete the recipe. The group initially consisted of Ale Lorenzo, Sandra Cassenas and Laurie Miller.

After the initial success of these two singles, conflicting events and stories developed into the history of the group. When the dust settled, a new line up consisting of Gioia Bruno, Ann Curless and Jeanette Jurado, resulted. This incarnation of the group hit the pop and R&B charts running with "Come Go With Me," a remade "Point Of No Return," "Let Me Be The One" and the number one ballad "Seasons Change." "Come Go With Me" and "Point Of No Return" retained the upbeat freestyle Miami sound and both songs went top five.

"Let Me Be The One," a mid-tempo soulful track with Gioia on lead, marked interesting distinctions for the trio. First, it demonstrated that despite being a "girl group" (a term which historically identifies a single lead singer), Expose' alternated lead vocals among its members. Second, the single garnered significant R&B support, no doubt from Gioia's soulful inflections. Lastly, "Let Me Be The One" marked a change of pace from their trademark upbeat Freestyle sound.

"Seasons Change," with Jeanette performing lead vocals, took them to the top of the pop charts and brought the album, "Exposure," to double platinum status.

In addition to the five released singles, check out "I Know You Know," which truly showcases the alternating lead vocal format for the group, as well as the Latino flavor therein. "Love Is Our Destiny," to a degree, can be construded as a cross between Quiet Storm and Freestyle, with Ann crooning the lead vocals.

"Extra Extra," a mid-tempo album cut, finds Ann singing lead in a higher register while "You're The One I Need" ushers in a frenetic pace with Jeanette.

The ballad, "December" spotlights Gioia at her dramatic best, complete with a classical orchestration as its conclusion. Listen out for the trademark "ah's" and lush tickling of the harp musical instrument throughout the ten tracks.

Overall, a solid debut album from one of the most successful female trio groups in music.

This album ranks up there with Madonna's debut among the great dance-pop albums of the 1980's. Expose had several hits after this album, but this contains all of the necessities for them. Even the non-single tracks are fantastic. If you have to choose between this and the Greatest Hits, this is actually the better deal.

I was cleaning out my old tapes and came across this gem! Listening to it again brought back memories of such happy times. I bought the cassette after hearing this dynamic trio's first single 'Come Go With Me'.

The second single that stood out to me is the outstanding 'Let Me Be The One' with Goia's lead. I agree with a previous poster that she was absolutely the "Beyonce" of the group while the more pop-oriented voice of Jeanette (my "Diana Ross" of the group) dominated the group's initial releases. I'm also very happy to hear that the Goia has recovered from the medical problem she suffered and continues to have a successful singing career - it would've been one hell of a shame for a voice like hers to be silenced.

This entire disc is some of the most enjoyable, fun music I've ever heard (even the ballads cause me to swing & sway a little). If you enjoy late '80's Miami dance sounds mixed with dance/pop grooves, you should take a chance and sample this disc.

My fave tracks:

Come Go With Me
Let Me Be The One
Exposed To Love
Seasons Change
Extra Extra
Point Of No Return
December

I highly recommend this album. I had this album on tape when it first came out, and listened to it a lot. Back then, I only listened to the first 5 songs, which were the ones getting airtime in the South Florida market. I knew when to turn the tape over to get to the song I wanted on the b side. I have just listened to the whole cd now after about 10 years without it, and I love the whole album. I am so glad I was able to find it. If you love the music that came out of Miami, Florida in the late 80's, your going to love this album. Buy it.

Expose's first album from '87 is still a classic to me! I like the four top 10 hits it got, like Come Go With Me, but I have been playing the other songs more, like the funky, percussion-heavy Love Is Our Destiny, You're the One For Me, Exposed to Love and others. I first heard it in 1988, one year after it came out, but I have and still enjoy listening to songs from it. The music produced by Lewis Martinee is so funky on here, with loads of funky rhythms and heavy on the beats, keyboards and percussion. Lewis and his handlers have the Casio keyboards loaded thick with sound effects in these songs. They even gave Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine a run for their money in terms of the Miami dance sound so common down there. I love the dramatic December--in fact, it doesn't sound like the typical song--it takes you to a very quiet place in a windy desert or near a snow covered mountain. It's very 80s in its sound, representing the mood of that decade. But what stands out are the strong voices of the group. Gioia Bruno, who still performs and records today, has an unbelievable voice. Not to knock the other two girls in the group, but Gioia was like the Beyonce of back then in terms of how she led the group in singing the songs. I still listen to Point of No Return, and Let Me Be the One as well as Seasons Change along with today's 2005 songs. This is a dynamic group that, even though they broke up, will be talked about for decades to come!

This record in many ways set the tone for what would become known as "freestyle". It is actually more like Miami pop-rock dance. Kind of like Miami Sound Machine but a little more drum-machine oriented. It is produced by the legendary Lewis Martinee, who produced "Domino Dancing" for the Pet Shop Boys. If you like the hits "Come Go With Me" and "Point of No Return" then you should like this whole album.