Heart of Stone

Cher | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 19, 1989)
• Original Release Date: 1989
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Geffen Records
• ASIN: B000000ORH
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,556 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Turn back time to 89 and a great album by Cher, June 25, 2005

By 

Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heart of Stone (Audio CD)

Cher followed up the success of her self-titled 1987 album with Heart of Stone, whose first two singles did better on the charts. She had retained the same production team-if it ain't broke... But the followup benefits from having better arrangements and instrumentations, while embodying a musical style now sadly long gone.

Instead of merely writing this song, Diane Warren puts on her producer's hat with Guy Roche. "If I Could Turn Back Time," whose strident rhythms with the same synth and fiery guitar from her previous album, made it to #3 on the charts and a week atop the Adult Contemporary charts. With a host of backing vocalists, including Desmond Child, Robin Beck, and Maria Vidal, plus guitar from Steve Lukather, who'd contributed on "I Found Someone," this couldn't fail and it didn't. However, with the video aboard a US aircraft carrier with an ever-so revealing outfit, the song might as well have been called "If I Could Show My Behind." What's also revealing and tried and true are some things I have experienced: "Pride's like a knife it can cut deep inside/words are like weapons they wound sometimes." Words have hurt me too much at times, so I know.

The second single, the power ballad written by Diane Warren and Desmond Child, "Just Like Jesse James," challenging a ladykiller and trying to drop him off the swaggering macho cloud he's floating on, indeed has lyrics with the aura of a Western showdown. This #8 hit also features backing vocals by Child, Warren, and Brenda Russell ("Get Here," "Piano In The Dark"). Another winning song.

Bolton and Warren co-write, with the former producing and arranging "You Wouldn't Know Love," which is straight 80's synth-laced music complete with its host of backing vocals. His production and songwriting on "Still In Love With You" and "Starting Over," the latter co-written with Journey's Jonathan Cain embodies the same style.

Her cover of Desmond Child's reflective "Love On A Rooftop," produced by Asher, also on percussion, was not the first time I'd heard it, as Ronnie Spector had done her version two years earlier on Unfinished Business, which makes at least three versions, including Child's own, which came out in 1991. This has more of a crunch to it, airy keyboard-wise and guitar-wise, the latter courtesy of the Heartbreakers' Waddy Wachtel. A strong single-worthy rendition, though the more low-key version by Spector fits me more. Asher also produced the duet between her and Peter Cetera, "After All," which was from the movie Chances Are. A #6 hit, this spent 4 weeks atop the AC charts, and is a classic 80's type pop ballad, and something Chicago probably'd have no problem doing around their 17 or 18 albums. Wachtel also does guitar here as well. Another favourite here.

The other Child-produced songs, "Emotional Fire" has the raging power to be on a Bon Jovi album, with harmonic chorus as strong as on BJ's "Living On A Prayer." Speaking of which, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora help co-write "Does Anybody Really Fall In Love Anymore." A rhetoric question posed here is: "There's a lonely world around me/I get sucked in by the tide/I said, hey, love ain't no crime/so why is everybody so afraid to cross that line." I found out the hard way. This is the song Kane Roberts later did in 1991.

A successor to Cher's 87 album, this is evidence enough that Cher had that second wind going for her. I mean, three Top Ten singles, one of them Top 5, and the #20 title track, not bad. Cher would repeat the formula for one more album before going on another hiatus, and redefining herself in 1998 with oontsa oontsa music with Believe.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent sample of Chers' 80's work., August 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Heart of Stone (Audio CD)

This cd is probably Cher at her most boisterous and has a real emotional energy. I particularly think that the songs, "After All", and "Just Like Jesse James", are classic examples of Cher at her rock and ballad peak. The background vocals are over-powering and some of the material shallow( Emotional Fire), but Cher has an energy to rise above the mundane. She sold more of this cd than any other, so perhaps this is her most popular.I feel "Its' A Mans' World", has Cher singing even better, and buried by extraneous sound less.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cher:- Heart Of Stone, August 20, 2005

By 

Wonderland (U.K) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heart of Stone (Audio CD)

Heart Of Stone is my fave Cher album along with Living Proof. Some of the producers really bring this album to life, such as Desmond Child (a fave of mine) and Michael Bolton, but the thing that really makes this album shine is no other than Cher and her excellent vocals. All 12 tracks are absolutely fantastic, and there's even some classics like If I Could Turn Back Time (#3 in US) and Just Like Jesse James (#8), the country/western influenced song. Other awesome singles include the likes of After All (#6) and Heart Of Stone (#20), which made the album chart in the Top 10 in both the US and the UK. Heart Of Stone has currently gone 3x Platinum in the US.

IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME
Turn Back Time is one of Cher's greatest hits, and none of you can deny that. This song is just a classic that will be remembered for years to come, even when it is already atleast 16 year old. This song is probably my fave on the whole album.

JUST LIKE JESSE JAMES
Another awesome effort, that is country/western-like. If none of you thought Cher could pull off western efforts, just listen to this!! It's one of her best!

YOU WOULDN'T KNOW LOVE
This song is one of the funnest on the album. I was left speechless when I first listened to it, and still am to this day.

HEART OF STONE
Cher really brings this Bucks Fizz recording to life. Awesome!

STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU
I'm sure everyone's felt this way some time in their life, or said these words to their one and only lover. She talks about that each time she finds somebody knew, she's still in love with her boyfriend that she found first, or with the one she loves the most. Brilliant lyrics, overall whopping song!

LOVE ON A ROOFTOP
Awesome ballad, though I find it may disturb some people or cause depression.

EMOTIONAL FIRE
Absolutely fabulous! One of the best songs on the album, as Cher belts out her powerful vocals!

ALL BECAUSE OF YOU
This is my third fave song on the album, my first being Turn Back Time and my second being the next track. Speaking of which...

DOES ANYBODY REALLY FALL IN LOVE ANYMORE?
The answer to that would be yes. But this song is absolutely great, I think that Cher puts alot of effort and emotion into the song, you can really tell by how great her voice is.

STARTING OVER
I love this song!! However, if I had to chose the weakest song on the album, this would get it.

KISS TO KISS
Absolutely fantastic. This is definately one of the albums best efforts, by far!

AFTER ALL
This ballad is so sweet, yet fantastic. Peter's vocals are OK, but Cher's vocals is the thing that really makes this song stand out.

Heart Of Stone is a brilliant effort. I recommend it totally to casual fans, die-hard fans, beginners or just people who like rock. This is classic rock Cher at her best!