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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A more bittersweet but still great Branigan, April 22, 2003
For Touch, her followup to the stunning Hold Me, Laura Branigan signed on with a new producer and came up with a sound that still recalls her early period, but somewhat tempered by a more melancholy sound. In many songs, she is "wearing the scars deep inside our desert hearts" that she mentions on "Shadows Of Love."The first two songs are examples of that are the bittersweet "Over Love" and "Shadows Of Love." The second details the jarring feeling of now joining the ranks of the broken-hearted, being eclipsed by a woman her man never quite got over. Both songs are accompanied by a steady background of programmed drums and rock guitars. Power pop ballads, definitely. "Angels Calling" shifts gears and is more positive. Along with the chorus of "Angels calling, stars are falling/I hear sounds of love/Heavens singing, hearts are ringing/I hear sounds of love," there is some pretty funky guitar and a heavy drums in the bridge. A temporary shift of gears, actually, as "Meaning Of The Word" moves back to melancholia. Does living together without binding ties, does that self-denial imply that the couple in question know the meaning of the word? That's the question this song tries to answer. She then effectively covers Jennifer Rush's oft-covered emotional powerhouse, "Power Of Love." Remember these lyrics: "Cause I'm your lady/and you are my man/whenever you reach for me/I'll do all that I can." Comparing this to the original, Air Supply and Celine Dion's versions, I prefer this one, as her voice is the most powerful. Her voice does strain occasionally, but it doesn't detract from the song. The next two songs, "Shattered Glass" and "Whatever I Do" prove that Laura Branigan can handle Stock-Aitken-Waterman bubblegum that has been spiced up with electric guitar. The first has Laura averring that she can strike out on her own after a bad relationship: "You can shatter glass with your heart of stone/But you won't get far on your own/You keep running hot and blowing cold/And everything you hold just falls apart like shattered glass." The same theme crops up in the second song: "Whatever I Do, wherever I go/I'm never coming back to you." Both are the "Gloria"'s of this album. If the sound of "Spirit Of Love" is familiar, check out the writers: Rick Nowels, Ellen Shipley, and Billy Steinberg. Belinda Carlisle or Stevie Nicks, right? The rhythm of the chorus, if some really crunchy guitar was added, would sound almost like Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name." Laura then covers the silly "Name Game" song from the 1960's as a fun diversion before going on to the mid-paced title track, underscored by programmed drums and a heavy bass-synth ensemble. "Cry Wolf" has Laura giving the cold shoulder to one who has scorned her love. The sadness and bitterness in this ballad is really apparent: "If you start to stumble, if you start to crack, and if you're feeling humble, don't look back." Let's assume that she gave him many last chances in order to feel that way. Stevie Nicks would later cover this song on The Other Side Of The Mirror, although this is more suited to Laura's vocals. Another proof that piano ballads are Laura's forte-q.v. "Foolish Lullaby", "I Found Someone" from Hold Me, "Will You Still Love Me" from Self Control. This was the first time I heard "Statue Of Love," available only on the CD, and the keyboards with subtle shadings of Eddie Money's "Endless Night" find a home on the latter's Can't Hold Back. Touch is Laura Branigan's last stab at greatness, and her voice is nowhere as vital than here. A glance-over at her self-titled followup or the hard-to-get Over My Heart may yield a different assessment, but for now...
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