Sheena Easton Album: “No Strings”

As a LONG-TIME Sheena Easton fan, I am so thankful that she finally realized that her voice needs to be showcased. This c.d. is nothing at all like "The Lover In Me" or "Doin' What Comes Naturally," with no evidence of "The Artist formally known as Who Cares's" influence on her style (Thank God). She has a golden voice and this is my favorite music to play when enjoying a candle-lit dinner. I really think you'll agree.

Throughout her career, Easton has somehow managed to explore a wide spectrum of musical genres without ever once earning the earnest respect of critics. This collection of standards, while by no means perfect, would easily have changed that if anyone had heard it. On the eleven tracks, from the ubiquitous "Someone To Watch Over Me" (has anyone not recorded this song?) to the more swinging and refreshingly pessimistic "Never Will I Marry," Easton displays a tremendous control over her voice that is rarely seen in pop artists today (Mariah and Celine don't know the meaning of subtlty). Easton has the confidence and poise to let the material shine, and it only serves to make her sound like a superstar. If she decides to go further down this path in the future, there is no doubt she will earn the praise that so easily comes to less deserving voices. "No Strings" is an highly engaging record with which many will rediscover this talent.

As other reviewers have pointed out, this is different from any other Sheena Easton album - highly listenable and credible, it deserves a listen. Pick it up, even if you're not crazy about her interpretation of these standards, my guess is that you'll never regret buying this album. Like me, you'll probably bring it out every so often for a series of listenings. I wonder if I'll ever get to buy this on SACD...

Sheena Easton was a young singer who had one major hit and a couple of minor hits. The voice seemed decent but no legs beyond the one or two songs. Then came this sleeper of an album, which shows just how truely talented this lady is. I acquired the album on cassette and recently replaced it on CD, not having listened to it in a very long time. It blew me away, with its mix of jazz and pop. Ms Easton has a spectacular voice, and she shows that she knows how to use it well. Highlights include I'm in the Mood for Love/Moody's Mood, Body and Soul (with the original verse--some singers use a different verse that was written much later and tacked on), a very jazzy How Deep is the Ocean (only Ella ever made a jazz version of this song without going completely off the tracks), If you Go Away and a completely reimagined The Man That Got Away (I'm not sure that it is completely sucessful, but it is definately reimagined).

My only question is.................Where the heck is the follow up album?

Not since the '60's, when a girl named Barbra Streisand sang these songs, has there been a promising vocalist to sing these songs again. And I mean sing. Highlights on this CD are,"If You Go Away", which sounds as if it were Easton's song to begin with. It is sung with such emotion and yet so much fire..it is hard to picture anybody else singing it. Another is "I Will Say Goodbye", which sounds as if it were a Streisand record to begin with. As is"Someone To Watch Over Me", it is easy to see that Streisand was a major influence in her career.Start to finish, this CD will no doubt be a collector's item in the future.