Union

Toni Childs | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 23, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Fontana a&M
• ASIN: B000002GHR
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,679 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: CHILDS,TONI
Title: UNION
Street Release Date: 03/29/1988
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars forgotten treasure, May 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Union (Audio CD)

I recently lent someone the copy of "Union" that I had long owned, and he lost it, and I was in a panic that it might be hard to find the CD this many years after its release. And that panic made me want to tell people: If you never discovered "Union" more than a decade ago, when it was released, latch onto it now. Toni Childs was putting African chants and influences into sturdy pop/rock before it became the vogue, and her voice -- a deep howl from the heart -- is as idiosyncratic as Nina Simone's or Macy Gray's but three times as powerful. Her career went downhill from here, but it really had nowhere else to go; that's the nature of starting at the summit. And when you first give "Union" a whirl, don't be put off by the top-40, dance-track ordinariness of "Don't Walk Away," the first single; that was the album's clear bid for radio play. Fast forward to "Zimbabwe," which is majestic, or "Stop your Fussin'" or "Dreamer" and you'll wonder, as other reviewers noted, why this album isn't considered a classic. By those who know it, it is.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Intense and Satisfying Celebration, March 11, 2000

By 

dev1 (Baltimore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Union (Audio CD)

The first thing that will grab your attention on "Union" is Toni Childs' distinctive voice. She's part soul crooner (reminds me of Simply Red's Mick "Red" Hucknall) and part gospel singer. Although comprehendible, Childs phrases her words for effect. Proper diction is secondary to musical expression. She concentrates her energetic delivery on texture and tone.

The African rhythms and choruses on "Stop Your Fussin," "Let The Rain Come Down," Zimbabwe" and "Hush" are as immense as Childs' vocals. She has enlisted a bevy of angelic African ladies to sing harmony and build powerful choral arrangements.

"Union" is a collaboration between Toni Childs and David Ricketts. David is half of David & David who gave us the infectious 1987 "Welcome To The Boomtown" ("Tim Drum" may very well be an outtake from the "Boomtown" sessions). "Don't Walk Away" opens "Union" with Childs (in the spirit of Tina Turner) scolding her lover. She forcefully rebukes him again on "Stop Your Fussin." Childs also has a softer introspective side. "Walk And Talk Like Angels Talk" is a tale of self-discovery, and "Where's The Ocean" expresses a longing for the past.

I'll venture that "Union" is a celebration of the personal and profession relationship of Toni Childs and David Ricketts. It must be an intense and satisfying partnership because "Union" is both.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Overlooked Classic., March 17, 2000

By 

Jason Stein (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Union (Audio CD)

I bought Union in February of 1989. I remembered that a few months back my high school drama teacher had mentioned that he had bought Toni Childs and that the cd was very good. I forgot about that conversation and a few months later saw the video for "Don't Walk Away." I went out and bought myself the cd. I was 16 at the time and I'm 27 now. I still think this is a classic recording. Nine songs that effortlessly flow. Every single track is a gem. The emotional rawness is present in all the tracks (kind of like Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill). It's a shame that no one even knows who Toni Childs is. Union and 1991's House of Hope are classics. I wouldn't recommend 1994's Woman's Boat unless you are a dedicated fan. Union is a must have for any rock collector.