Customer Reviews

So Natural

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Whatever prevented ARISTA Records from releasing "SO NATURAL" in the United States kept us from probably one the BEST discs of the 1990's worldwide. This disc saw Lisa Stansfield's vocal talents, choice of material, and musical arrangements IN TOP FORM. Many tempos, styles, arrangements, and avenues of thought are explored on this disc. Even still the disc flows from one song to the other with ease, which is surprising considering the order in which the songs were mastered. The set begins with the laid-back "So Natural," dives into the early-70's-esque funk "Marvelous And Mine," and moves on to the uplifting, breezy, light-disco "Little Bit of Heaven," (slightly reminiscent of the "Charlie's Angels" theme song). Similarly, "Too Much Love Makin'" sounds also like a Swing Out Sister retro-disco cover, circa 1979. From there the disc captures several different moods, tempos, emotions, and styles. However, the best by far is the inclusion of the re-recording of "In All The Right Places." The original ballad recording was written for a JAMES BOND film which never developed. Subsquently, the track wound up in the closing credits of (and on the soundtrack recording of) the film "INDECENT PROPOSAL." The re-recording included on "SO NATURAL" has a mid-tempo soul/pop arrangement which as as relaxing as it is uplifting. Something about this track brings to mind a sunny, warm afternoon at the ocean amongst palm trees and warm sands. Just wonderful. Find this CD, buy it, and DO NOT LOAN IT TO YOUR FRIENDS....you'll never get it back.

WHY? This Cd Was Not Released In The USA Is Unbelieveable! Lisa Had Just Came Off Two GREAT Cds (AFFECTION & REAL LOVE) And Was In Her Glory! This Cd Is Filled With Great Songs..."Marvellous & Mine", "Little Bit Of Heaven", "In All The Right Places" & "Too Much Love Makin'" Are All Amazing & Classic Lisa! Buy It Now That You Can!

Lisa Stansfield's cd "So Natural" is one of the most addictive of her releases. It is a definite must for any die hard fan. The fact that it was only released abroad makes it even more special to the avid collector. The songs are very heartfelt and her tone is throatier than in past releases. I highly recommend this release to anyone looking for the best of LISA....

Lisa's third album was never released in the States, though it's a puzzle as to why, considering that "So Natural" contains some of Lisa's finest material and plenty of potential singles. The seductive title track and the pulsating "I Give You Everything" are the perfect examples of beautifully written songs perfectly matched with infectious rhythms, while the soulful "Marvellous & Mine" and the disco workout "Little Bit of Heaven" rank with Lisa's finest dance material. She even goes out on a limb on the Sade-ish "Sweet Memories" and the downright funk of "Turn Me On" with glorious results. As always the case with Lisa's CDs, it's a couple of songs too long; "Too Much Love Makin" and "Wish it Could Always Be This Way" are less than special and could have been left out. But listening to her glide through the lush "Never Set Me Free," complete with a 70's-reminiscent flugelhorn, is proof enough that the US definitely missed the boat on a wonderful CD. Her vocals are in top form and her writing skills are as sharp as ever...all of which Lisa probably finds so natural.

for some strange reason, Lisa Stansfield is not well known in the US. This British singer from Manchester is probably one of the best soul singers in the world. Her repertoire varies from soul to pop, capitalizing on her tremendous voice and great melodic tunes. I would recommend this album to anyone. I have never been a big soul fan but I fell completely for this one. This is a great album with great songs. Another one of her pearls that I enjoy very much is her self titled album. Buy both and you can also throw in Real Love if you liked the first two.

I once read a magazine article with Lisa Stansfield in which she "apologised" to her fans for this album, saying she got too self indulgent with the songs and "lost the plot"...all I can say is that if this shows Lisa at her most personal, then please, please, can we have more of the same?
This is the only album by Lisa Stansfield that I REALLY like, the others all struck me as rather safe and formulaic. But here, the songs are full of great melodies, instrumentation, soul, and of course, Lisa's wonderful voice. As soon as the lush title track is over, the 2nd song "Never Set Me Free" surprises you immediately with its languid tempo and 70's lounge influenced horn instrumentation. It's a seductive and sexy number that keeps you swaying along all the way through it. And it's not the only one. For a similar vein try "Sweet Memories": just as easy on the ear, and a bit more bittersweet lyrically. Even better is "She's Always There", a really poignant and touching ballad about a loyal but mistreated woman. Again, a great shuffling rhythm and as always, outstanding vocals from Lisa. For uptempo numbers, the album is well served by "Too Much Lovemaking" and "Marvellous and Mine", the latter being a personal favourite, with a really tight and funky beat to it. Actually, the production of all the songs is very economical all round, which sounds like a criticism, but I am being positive here, as I think it makes for a surpisingly effective minimalist and lean feel, with not an ounce of fat on any of the tracks. Cutting away unnecessary elaboration leaves the songs crisp and immediately catchy, and it's a trend I would love to see other artists try and emulate. My least favourite track on the album is one that seems a common favourite, going by other reviewers opinions of this album - I don't like the re-working of the John Barry song "In All The Right Places" (from Indecent Proposal), that appears on this CD, which does not hold a candle to the classier and slightly darker version that appears on the original soundtrack CD (also with Lisa as vocalist). Still, you could also buy that soundtrack, as it's a great album as well! But Lisa Stansfield fans - don't pass up this album. I've only mentioned a few tracks by name, but nearly every song is a winner. Lisa should let her intuition guide her more often, in my opinion, if this is the result.

Record companies are strange at times, Lisa's third cd didn't get a US release because the label felt this wasn't commerical enough for the US market and asked Lisa to make some changes and she said NO! and so the cd wasn't released here! and what a shame because this a great cd! Lisa's voice is smooth on this project and the songs! The arrangements have a more mellow, jazzier grooves. Thanks to some smooth jazz radio stations 'Never Set Me Free' & 'So Natural' got some good airplay, every time these songs got played the dj would get phone calls as to where to get these songs and he had to say it's on an import cd, this proves that this cd would've done well here if the proper promotion was behind it! thanks to Tower records we were able to get this! 'Goodbye', 'Be Mine', 'Marvellous & Mine' are just some of the highlights on this cd! I highly recommend this cd!!

Despite having no US hits and being generally scarce here, this is almost certainly the most solid and beautiful album that the always-desirable Lisa Stansfield has made. Unquestionably one of the most stylish and talented white soul divas ever, the robustness of this album is something to savor from beginning to end, and it shifts flawlessly between the shimmering ballads that she's best known for and a few slightly more uptempo but no less stylish dance-poppers. The beautiful ballads "I Give You Everything" and "Goodbye" are particularly good, though there is no song on the entire album not worth hearing.

This is a great quality cd. Lisa Stanfield was my favorite singer for about 5 years growing up, so when i found this at Borders music as an import title, i coughed up 30 bux to get it. Real love is still my personal favorite, i think it features her musical talent the best way. There are great up cd's on Natural, like Little bit of Heaven and track number 4. I Give you everything is a great ballad, too. This is a solid album, but if you want 1 album by her i would get Real Love.

Length:: 0:57 Mins