Customer Reviews

Whomanfoursays

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lisa Dal Bello was only 17 when she released her self-titled debut solo album in 1977. Her initial style was very soulful and funky, yet conveyed her very original songwriting style and vocal arrangements! She followed that release with two additional albums under the same artist name: PRETTY GIRLS (1978) and DRASTIC MEASURES (1981). The latter has been released on CD in Canada. PRETTY GIRLS has not yet been released on CD and it is uncertain whether it will.
After DRASTIC MEASURES, Dal Bello was tired of working with producers who couldn't understand or capture the right feel for the songs she wrote. She took a break from the music world until 1984 when she returned with a new sound and a new image under the artist name: DALBELLO.

The album WHOMANFOURSAYS was produced with Mick Ronson and was done the way Lisa wanted. "GONNA GET CLOSE TO YOU" from that album was later remade by Queensryche. Another song ("WAIT FOR AN ANSWER") was remade by Heart in 1987 on their BAD ANIMALS album. The song "ANIMAL" from this album was a minor hit. Other great songs include "DEVIOUS NATURE", "CARDINAL SIN", and "PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE".

She followed WHOMANFOURSAYS with SHE, an album that continued in a similar vein. It featured the minor hits "TALK TO ME" and "TANGO", both of which are pop/rock masterpieces. The song "BLACK ON BLACK" from SHE was released a year earlier in a slightly different form on the 9-1/2 Weeks soundtrack. Personally, I like the album version better!

Lisa Dal Bello took 8 years away from her solo career to work on other projects and aspects of her life (including songwriting and touring with Heart in 1993, who remade Dalbello's "BLACK ON BLACK" for their DESIRE WALKS ON album that same year) before returning with the album WHORE in 1995.

WHORE is arguably her best work to date. It was obviously targetted to a more alternative/hard rock audience with its heavy guitar influence. However, Dal Bello's soulful singing style is more prominent than ever on this release.

Since 1996, Lisa Dal Bello has again moved away from her solo career to concentrate on other projects such as songwriting and producing for other artists. However, she has recorded the song "FAITH IN YOU (WITH ALL YOUR HEART)" for a Canadian Ford Focus ad in recent years. Sadly, at this time it is uncertain whether she will ever return to her solo career as she feels she is doing what she wants to be doing with her life.

In my opinion, Lisa Dal Bello is one of the most talented songwriters and singers of the contemporary music world. Unfortunately, she has been continually overlooked by the popular music world.

Dalbello has been a favourite of mine since this album and she continues to amaze me with her music. Unfortunately, Dalbello does not release much music (only 3 studio albums in over 20 years) so her fans need to wait painfully long periods of time for new music.
Dalbello used to be known in the Canadian music business as Lisa Dalbello and released a couple of moderately successful albums and had a hit single in the 70's called Pretty Girls. She then disappeared for a long haul and returned with this amazing album. Completely different than her older material, in fact completely different than any artist.
Dalbello is one angry lady, ferocious and powerful in her songwriting and vocal delivery. This album contains the (semi) hit single Gonna Get Close To You (also recorded by Queensryche) and the duet with Carole Pope - Animal. As great as those tracks are, my personal faves are Wait For An Answer (recorded by Heart who also recorded Black On Black from Dalbello's 'She' album and the 91/2 Weeks soundtrack) and Path of Least Resistance.
Anyone interested in other music by Dalbello should also check out her two later releases 'She' and 'Whore' (one of my top ten favourites of all time). Definately not for the mainstream but if you enjoy 'alternative' music with power and edge - this is your artist.

Lisa is one of my favourite female vocalists. I'm just disappointed that she hasn't done more music than she has. I believe this cd to be her oldest since taking on the name Dalbello. Lisa in her older days refused to sell out to the industry by by displaying her feminine charms to the masses. Therefore, probably losing out on much $'s by doing so. She then depended entirely on her vocal expertise to entice the crowds. Too bad the crowds weren't listening. All of Lisa's albums are a pleasure to listen to. She has two more after this cd that I know of. I keep looking for more but, alas, not to be found. I have heard her do some commercial spots however. A must buy for anyone that loves to hear a dynamic female voice with an edge about it.

(...) to suggest that dalbello "clearly models herself" on bush is ridiculous! i am a huge fan of both and was wondering just which piece by bush is she drawing this comparison? prior to this album dalbello's management and record company promoted her as a disco diva (like alanis morissette) who was to have no creative input in the material she performed. this album was a radical departure, being her "breakout" album that showed that she not only has a tremendous set of pipes, she also is a talented writer and multi-instrumentalist. ann wilson's version later of "wait for an answer" just doesn't sound as terrified as dalbello. definitely an album to check out; as well, check out the singles "black on black" (the version on the 9 1/2 Weeks soundtrack is better than the remixed one on her album 'She') as well as "eleven" from the album 'Whore'.

The simple, almost primal, feel of the album creates a mood that draws in the listener completely. Dalbello's voice is expressive and expansive, one minute sensual and conversational, the next minute over the top. Truly the writer knows best as songs like "Gonna Get Close To You" and "Wait For An Answer" sound better here than in the versions covered by other artists.

In short, this groundbreaking, unique, innovative record from 1984 is beyond words. I discovered Lisa Dalbello in 1986 in college on the "9 1/2 Weeks" soundtrack and her early version of "Black On Black"...I was shocked and smitten all at once, like "Holy crap, what IS this?? Is this the coolest song and singer I've ever heard or what??" Then I heard Queensryche's cover of Lisa's "Gonna Get Close To You" (I saw the video actually) and thought the same thing except I was more smitten by the song itself than Queensryche, even after getting a copy of "Rage For Order". Then I befriended someone at college and he had a vinyl copy of this album, "Whomanfoursays", Lisa's groundbreaking statement.

And ya know what?? 26 years later, it STILL reveals its artful claws and stands as leagues beyond most 2010 music, not bad for a 1984 release which bombed!! I put this record in the same league as other artful groundbreakers like the Beatles' "White Album" and Public Image Limited's "Metal Box". Seriously.

This record is a highly intelligent showcase for Lisa's unique talent as an equally darkly-hued and pop-influenced songwriter, musician, visionary, producer. This record is a 50/50 collaboration with David Bowie's onetime sideman Mick Ronson, who also played with Mott The Hoople, but it's not glam. If anything, "Whomanfoursays" is an equal to industrial artists like Ministry, Cabaret Voltaire, Can and more, but there is a melodic pop sensibility that is turned on its head. At least 4 covers were generated from songs on this album..."Gonna Get Close To You" was covered by Queensryche, "Devious Nature" by Julie Masse, "Wait For An Answer" by Heart and "Animal" by Heaven's Gate, but Lisa's original versions on this artwork surpass those in a heartbeat, in her own unique, singular, idiosyncratic fashion...darker, more intense, more original, more primal.

Even now, this record is shocking in its perfection, it's vision that even looks forward NOW, 26 years later, and it's dark intensity. In the record's 9 songs, it doesn't stoop to cliche, not even once. At turns very seductive and then razor sharp, even unbearably intense & over-the-top, to new listeners, this could be very hard-to-take...it was for me, but once you get into Lisa's style, this record never fails to take you on a journey into a highly intelligent, sharp, artful mind. On top of that, Lisa's voice is one-of-a-kind, in speaking and singing, and without her, there would be no Alanis Morissette, Sinead O'Connor, no intense singer-songwriters you can think of.

In Lisa's 35+ year career, she only released 6 albums, numerous one-off collaborations and background vocals on tons of artists' records, as well as the occasional TV commercial and theme song. She started off as a soul/disco/pop diva with her self-titled debut album in 1977 on Universal...she even won a Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) for "Most Promising Female Artist", even after getting dropped!! She then formed her own label, Talisman Records in 1978 and released her 2nd album "Pretty Girls" in 1979, with Melissa Manchester having a hit with a cover of the title track. Lisa then signed to Capitol in 1979 and released her 3rd album, "Drastic Measures" in 1981...this album, which was reissued on CD a few years ago, with the cover of Lisa wearing an Olivia Newton-John-like headband, and sporting co-writes with her friend Bryan Adams and production by Jim Vallance, is a bridge between her disco/pop/soul early work and her groundbreaking alt-rock to come. Lisa was then at a crossroads, not sure where to go next, focusing on her creativity and poetry, was contacted by Ronson, and then came this album "Whomanfoursays", which, to be honest, is one of THE 10 greatest albums of all time, and it's STILL not widely appreciated or discovered...if I could help it, this record will be mandatory listening by all. Even the cover is groundbreaking, shocking and original, like the music inside, from the creepy ticktock opening of "Gonna Get Close To You" through the moody closing epic "Target (My Eyes Are Aimed At You)". Besides the 4 covers, one being the really cool "Devious Nature" with Ronson's great guitar, great arrangement and sharp vocal, and creepy little girl bridge, another standout is the mostly spoken word "Guilty By Association", which is true even now, 26 years later.

After this work, Lisa released "She" in 1987, which is as powerful, but with fuller arrangements and production, not as primal or barebones...she would have produced it with Ronson but Capitol/EMI objected...bad move...Lisa however tricked them with her own production and saying it was this fake guy named "Bill DeSalleo", which was an anagram of her name, hahaha. 9 years after that, she released the more guitar-oriented "Whore" through the German arm of EMI. Nothing since. Currently, she is just doing commercial and production work and the occasional one-off...even if Lisa doesn't make another record, she's made her mark.

To me, Lisa is arguably one of the most original and groundbreaking geniuses in modern music, up there with the greats, male and female, you name them, Lisa matches them. I LOVE Lady Gaga, but Lisa surpasses her. Madonna is great too, Lisa matches her. You name him or her, Lisa matches them.

Period.

This is simply a very good album. Maybe you have to hear it a few times before you can appreciate it, but than you will want to play it over and over again. And she does not model herself on Kate Bush as another "critic" put it. The music and singing style of Lisa Dalbello differ greatly from that of Kate Bush. And the albums after this ("She" and "Whore") are even better in my vieuw. It's a shame she doesn't make records anymore, but the ones she has made are great.

This simple experimental album makes her unique

voice attractive. Her expressions will reach you

Intensely, Sensually, Intimately in the dark.

This album is a kind of preview of her best album

"SHE." (this is also avairable Amazon.com)

YOU CAN'T MISS IT!

Remember the first day of school when you'd see classmates for the first time since June and there were always one or two who had morphed into something totally different and unexpected over the summer? The straight-laced kid who was suddenly disturbingly "goth"; the skinny runt who'd sprouted muscles seemingly overnight; the "Plain Jane" who'd suddenly discovered makeup and developed luscious curves. Well, this album is the musical equivalent of those type of metamorphasis. Here Lisa DalBello drops her first name, simply becomes "Dalbello", shatters her previous image completely, and the result is the best album of her career that has aged remarkably well over 25 years later.

Dalbello abandons the pop-rock sound of 1981's "Drastic Measures" in favour of a darker, industrial sound here, that is simultaneously primitive and futuristic. While her earlier work as "Lisa DalBello" drew comparisons to Alicia Bridges or Heart, the new "Dalbello" has more in common with avante garde females like Kate Bush or Nina Hagen.

Every track is different to hold the listener's attention, yet nothing seems out of place and the album is totally cohesive.

A sparse, ominous intro brings us the stalkerish "Gonna Get Close to You", a perfect opener to the album. When Dalbello softly intones the title phrase it eerily sounds more like a threat than an affectionate gesture.

A xylophone opens "Devious Nature" which features an interlude of child-like chants.

The fast "She Pretends" is the most-accessible track, though probably the most uninteresting, and a little dated. It actually shares the same rhythm and sound as Sheila E's "The Belle of St. Mark".

On the slower, simmering "Wait For an Answer", Dalbello's raspy vocals gradually become so intense it sounds like she may self-destruct before the song's conclusion.

"Animal" starts off deceptively quiet, before it bursts into a militant march featuring instantly-recognizable supporting vocals by guest-star Carole Pope. After "Gonna Get Close to You", this is probably my favorite track on the album. The sound is so arresting and the two divas mesh together so perfectly, I wish Carole and Dalbello had collaborated on an album's worth of material. Too bad Rough Trade's "Weapons" album didn't boast more tracks like this.

Incessant cymbal-crashing highlights the chorus of "Cardinal Sin", contrasting with the simple, quiet verses.

On "Guilty By Association" Dalbello speaks over nimble beat-box rhythms and this is the only time she sounds subdued on the album.

A fast, bouncy chorus contrasts the bleak lyrics about sexual abuse in "Path of Least Resistance".

The closing song, the laid-back "Target (My Eyes Are Aimed at You") sounds as though Dalbello's vocal was filtered through a megaphone and the synths give it a Eurythmics vibe.

Originally released in 1984, the same year as "She's So Unusual" and "Like a Virgin". "Whomanfoursays" is the least-dated of those three albums, though Dalbello has never achieved the commercial success of Cyndi Lauper or Madonna. I certainly regard this album as much of an '80s classic as those two.

Dark, unpredictable, artistically-daring, and the best thing Dalbello's put out. If you own only one recording of hers, make it this one!

I was so happy to find this on Amazon after looking for so long. Lisa is awesome!