Customer Reviews

Sweet Dreams

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, as most people know by know, Melanie Thornton, the lead singer of La Bouche (as well as Le Click, famous for the club anthem "Tonight is the Night") tragically died in a plane crash in November of 2001.

This album probably will be always known as the pinnacle of La Bouche's short lived career. I remember "Be My Lover" as the song that started getting me back to listening to dance music after being away from it a few years. The album is worth a listen if you are into energetic music (Be My Lover, Sweet Dreams) and a few slower tunes mixed into it.

Most of all, remember La Bouche and Melanie as a group (along with Real McCoy and 2 Unlimted) as artists started the trend toward the introduction of dance music into the US Market. Unfortunately, La Bouche and Melanie didn't last long but they leave behind a good legacy.

When thinking about 90's music, no one can help but thinking about the duo that was once La Bouche. The singles that were released ("Be My Lover", "Sweet Dreams" and "Falling In Love") were true masterpieces of the 90's pop charts.
This is a great album because it incorporates a unique combination of American and Euro pop/disco, most likely because of their German influences (they also met in Germany). This album according to me makes killer driving music, never letting you get sleepy if it's late at night and waking you up if it's early in the morning on the way to school/work. I would have liked it better if they would have included the longer version of "Sweet Dreams" but I don't mind it too much. "I'll Be There is my favorite song on the whole album and her vocals are truely represented here. Little did I know that lead singer Melanie Thornton died last year in a plane crash. She is the most powerful vocalist I have ever heard in my whole life, hands down. She will definatly be missed. Buy this album in memory of Melanie, and as is being one of the best albums of the 90's.

I was 15 years old and a sophomore in high school when "Be My Lover" started burning up the U.S. charts toward the end of 1995, and I loved every second of that song: Eurodance-pop perfection, bolstered by the catchy "La-da-da-dee-da-da-da-da" hook and the powerful diva voice of the late Melanie Thornton. As I recall, most radio stations played the edited version without Lane's rap, without which the song seems kind of empty (even though it is cheesy: "Like Boyz II Men I'm on bended knee"... sorry, that line makes me giggle). As much as this song simply smokes, the extended mix which also got some radio play on "mix shows" and the like is even better.
Anyway, when I bought this album I expected an album's worth of songs in the same Eurodance style which I had grown to know and love thanks to Real McCoy, 2 Unlimited, Fun Factory, and (remember "The Rhythm Of The Night?") Corona. To my surprise, there were some slow jams here too! Despite being well-sung by Melanie, as is everything here, the slow jams - especially "I'll Be There" (which is NOT the Jackson Five/Mariah Carey classic) - aren't as memorable as the dancefloor thumpers. "Be My Lover," the title song, "I Love To Love" and "The Heat Is On" are all red-hot, catchy, well-crafted Eurodance classics. And it is the talents of Melanie Thornton that make them really special. In the hands of any other singer these songs wouldn't sound nearly as hot. There's also "Where Do You Go," which is ALMOST the same song that became a hit in 1996 for the Cuban-American trio No Mercy - I say "almost" because the verses are different. Equally fun is Le Click's "Tonight Is The Night," a #89 Hot 100 hit in 1995. (Of course, after Melanie and Lane McCray got together as La Bouche, Le Click continued on with a new singer named Kayo Shekoni who was sort of a soundalike for Melanie, and scored a Top 40 hit in 1997 with "Call Me.")
And there's an oldie here too - that would be "Fallin' In Love," the Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds #1 hit from 1975. The album version is a nice, breezy, mid-tempo pop tune that wouldn't sound out of place on adult contemporary radio. It's certainly far superior to the horrid Eurodance remix that was issued to radio stations after the success of "Be My Lover" and "Sweet Dreams." Actually, "Fallin' In Love" was originally La Bouche's first single in the United States in 1995, but it flopped, getting into the "Bubbling Under the Hot 100" chart for a few weeks and then vanishing. When it was re-promoted to radio the following year, RCA did not re-release the single and CHR stations played it as an album cut (though most of them, unfortunately, played the remix, which was not all that bad on its own, but was horrible compared to the album version).

In short, this is a more-than-competent survey of the mid-1990s Eurodance sound, with a pair of big hit singles and a few extras as well. La Bouche injected some soul into the Euro beats and came up with a winner. Rest in peace, Melanie, you are still missed.

Even after almost 5 years of listening to this cd it is still great. Be My Love is one of my all time favorite club songs. It just makes you want to get up and dance. My 66 year old grandmom even loves La Bouche! I can listen to this whole cd over and over again. Sweet Dreams is also good. Tonight is the Night, I Love to Love, Where Do You Go etc.. they are all great. IF you haven't heard this cd yet, and you love club music or like to dance then check this one out now.

Who hasn't danced even once with the big smash hit ''be my lover'' way back in 1995? And who hasn't dreamt by listening to the hit ''sweet dreams''? The unique voice of Melanie Thornton - tragically gone in a plane crash in Zurigh in 2001 - along with the rap rhymes of Lane McCray make a combination of passion, adrenaline and of course ... dancing!! Beautiful melodic songs, such as ''fallinf in love'', ''i'll be there'' and ''nice n' slow'', dance hits like ''where do you go'', ''i love to love'', ''the heat is on'', along with one beautiful ballad - ''do you still need me?''and the 2 smash hits we just talked about. The cd ends with 2 great remixes of ''be my lover'' and ''fallin' in love'', plus another big hit ''tonight is the night'', which mysteriously isn't enclosed in the 2001 compilation ''greatest hits'' of the group. A cd that everybody who loves dance music should have. The group may not exist anymore, but will always be remembered, especially Melanie.

Music like this is usually too corny for me to even come close to giving it a chance, but I showed up to my sister's apartment one day and she was playing this CD. By the time I left her place, I was sweaty from all the dancing I was doing. I am by no means a convert, but I do give credit where credit is due. I don't know much about house/trance/dance music, but from what I've heard on this CD and from what I've been told, this is one of the better dance albums out there. A year ago I saw it at a store and bought it used for $1.00 (what a country). There are a lot of great dance tracks on this album and there are some terrible tracks on this album. When the group tries to do ballads like "I'll Be There" and "Do You Still Need Me", they come off as very cheesy attempts to "get deep". Thankfully, those kinds of songs are kept to a minimum. The strength of this album (obviously) are the dance/house tracks. There are house music staples like "Sweet Dreams", "Where Do You Go", and "Be My Lover" on here that make this CD worth the money on their own. They also follow up these classics with strong dance tracks like "Be My Lover (House Mix)", "I Love To Love", "Fallin' In Love (Spike Mix)", "Le Click: Tonight Is The Night", and "The Heat Is On". Great songs like "Nice N Slow" and "Fallin' In Love" have an R&B flavor to them and they help to even things out. Overall, I'd have to say that this album is pretty good. It's not a classic album by any means, but there are some classic dance joints on this album. It has some obvious holes in it, but it's still worth the money if you can find it at a good price. It's sad that lead singer Melanie died in that plane crash back in 2001, but she left behind some great music that will get your body moving. It's always hard to see people go when so much potential is left unfulfilled.

Standout Tracks: Be My Lover, I Love To Love, Where Do You Go (My Favorite), Le Click: Tonight Is The Night, The Heat Is On, Fallin' In Love, Sweet Dreams, Nice N' Slow, Fallin' In Love (Spike Mix), and Be My Lover (House Mix)

This German duo combine synth-pop, house, hip-hop, and funk, all in one package. Sweet soulful female vocals highlight a CD filled with upbeat bass driven club tracks with a few smooth ballads thrown in for GP...

Cool Tracks: "Be My Lover"/"Sweet Dreams"/"I'll Be There"/"Do You Still Need Me"/"I Love To Love."

La Bouche (which is the French translation of the word "mouth") spawned two monster club hits (Be My Lover and Sweet Dreams), a loyal following on the club circuit, and inclusion of those 2 songs on many dance compilations. Tragically, Melanie Thornton died at the age of 34 in a plane crash in 2001. Group partner Lane McCray soldiered on with a new female partner, but Thornton's death truly marked the end of the La Bouche legacy.

Footnote: Not sure whether or not this is available as a recording, but around 2001-2002-ish, DJ Richie Rich of Philadelphia's Q102 created a special version of "Sweet Dreams" which keeps its memorable melody intact, but pumps about twice as hard and has some subtle added sound effects. Presumably, the station played an hour of high energy, beat-heavy music as part of a daily afternoon workout. If it is at all possible to obtain this, I recommend by all means that you do. I think you will probably like it more than the original version.

I dont know what it is, i mean, it's almost 2004, but for some reason, i'll really into the dance pop groups of the 90s. La bouche is probably one of the best from the 90s and you've probably heard alot of the songs on this album in the clubs. Be my lover, Sweet Dreams, and tonight is the night; all great songs. I would highly recommend this album.

Despite the fact that Melanie was killed in a plane crash,
LaBouche really brought the stuff with this release. A great
buy indeed! It seems it gets better each time I listen to it!
This CD and Rhythm of the Night are at the top of my NRG-Euro
favs. Buy it, you wont regret it.