The world of Sheena Easton is just that: everyone of her U.S. singles in chronological order. Beginning with her only #1, Morning Train, Sheena looks like just a pretty lady singing nice light pop songs. For those of us who bought her ablums, new there was more to her that this. She had a harder edge than the general public knew. In 1984, she released "Strut" and the world began to take notice. Then in 1985, she released "Sugar Walls" and the world was shocked. It has now been 18 years since the beginning of her career and all these different song stylings are put in place. This is an artist who can and does sing many types and styles of songs. Since they are put in chronological order, you can see the transformation from pop to adult contemporary to dance and R&B. In fact, Sheena is the only artist to date that has put singles in the top 5 of all the singles charts: pop(Morning Train), country(We've got Tonight w/Kenny Rogers), dance(Sugar Walls), adult contempory(For Your Eyes Only) and R&B(The Lover in Me).
This is an album that showcases the virsitility of a very talented artist! Don't miss this one.
Scottish pop doll Sheena Easton was more a singles artist than an album artist, so it was only fair to collect the two or three singles into one album. This collection comprises singles from her first seven albums from her first label, EMI Records, from 1981 to 1987. Key: [on original studio album], {on remastered reissue album}
Ahh, "Morning Train", Sheena's debut single and only US #1! A sensation was born with the combined brass and 80's synthesizer, that sweet/perky/sultry vocal and the irresistible chorus--"My baby takes the morning train/He works from 9 to 5 and then/he takes another home again." At least the guy plays hard as well, so... "Modern Girl" takes it from the woman's perspective: "she manages a smile as he walks out the door/she's a modern girl who's been through this movie before." "She don't fill her world about no single man/but she's getting burnt doing what she can/she is free to be/what she wants to be/all she wants to be is a modern girl." Both these upbeat singles explore the soulless, compartmentalized corporate Wall Street/Madison Avenue world of the 1980's; the first single seems to celebrate it, the loneliness of it slips through. [Sheena Easton]
One of the loveliest, lushest James Bond songs and ballads, "For Your Eyes Only," deserved the #1 and not the #4 spot with Sheena's potent vocals. {You Could Have Been With Me}
Another ballad, the radio-friendly 80's soul of "You Could Have Been With Me" further demonstrates her ability to carry a good ballad. "When He Shines" is a ballad of a man with conflicting sides, "man/child" "mild/bold" "tramp/dude", "a song not easy to write." [You Could Have Been With Me]
Kazoo-like horns introduce the upbeat "Machinery" about a man who seems to flick a girl on like she is a piece of machinery. "I Wouldn't Beg For Water" is a classic 80's-style ballad, with Sheena's crystal clear voice accompanied by a piano. Kind of reminds me of Lionel Richie's "Say You Say Me" without the synthesizers. [Madness, Money and Music]
"We've Got Tonight", her duet with Kenny Rogers, is another classic 80's ballad sounding like Lionel Richie or 80's-Whitney Houston. Kenny's soft and rangy voice is complemented by Sheena's lush voice. Nice! {Best Kept Secret}
"Telefone" has a constant Nile Rodgers' bass disco synth backbeat, i.e. "Material Girl", except with richer sounds, then the chorus sounds like the theme to some 80's TV show. Another sweet but sad ballad, "Almost Over You" about a louse of a man from whom she's almost gotten over. "Devil In A Fast Car" has a dark synthesizer, like a restrained version of Van Halen's "I'll Wait" and rock guitar. [Best Kept Secret]
With "Strut" her best-charting album (#15), a white-funk sound was introduced. Think a white version of Prince's "Cream." As for the notorious Sheila E.-sounding "Sugar Walls", which is a euphemism for a woman's < >, this was written by Alexander Nevermind, an alias for someone who in 1995 changed his name to an unpronouncable symbol. Yes, that guy! Figures, right? "Swear" has a rock guitar and beat like Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop", except quicker. [A Private Heaven]
The next three Niles Rodgers-produced singles represents another shift in sound, especially "Do It For Love." The skippy stomping beat of "Jimmy Mack" is irresistible, but "Magic Of Love" is merely passable. [Do You]
"So Far So Good," from the About Last Night soundtrack, is a carbon-copy of Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know" down to the "wooo!" in the beginning.
The reason "Eternity" sounds like a C-side reject from Sign 'O' The Times is that Prince wrote it for her. [No Sound But A Heart].
What I really like about this is that it lists the albums and singles chronologically, lists their peak positions on Billboard, and the B-side singles. However, puzzling is how it lists material that is NOT on this compilation, i.e. her duets with Prince and singles from her MCA albums, The Lover In Me and What Comes Naturally. Great collection if you can get it.
I wasn't really a big fan of Sheena Easton when she released "Morning Train". It wasn't until she came out with "Sugar Walls", and "Strut" that she became an instant hit with me. This greatest hits compilation covers her music from 1981 to 1985 roughly. It doesn't include any of the songs she did with Babyface in the later '80s like "Lover in Me", but it's still a great collection for Sheena fans. It sounds great too.
I got this CD two years ago while on vacation. I listened to parts of the CD when I came back. I liked the songs that I hadn't heard before(like "Machinery", "Devil...", and "Swear"). The slower songs I didn't listen to at first but warmed up to them after a while.
I also like that all the songs are included on the CD, unlike most greatest hits, where a couple of songs are noticeably left out.
If you want all her songs on one CD, this is the one to get(the other greatest hits CD has only 10-12 songs).
Having seen Sheena Easton in concert when she first arrived on the scene, she has always been one of my favorites. I saw her again a couple years ago at the Rio in Las Vegas with David Cassidy. Her voice was just as beautiful as ever. This album reminds me of those two wonderful moments. But only two comments: Where is "Wind Beneath My Wings?" I saw her sing that song in person and her rendition is vastly superior to Bette Midler's. (Her song with Prince would be a good addition, too.) Also, who picked the cover photo? I never thought that it was possible to find an awful picture of this beautiful Scottish lassie. The back cover photograph is absolutely stunning. Amazon should do some digital manipulation to display the back cover instead.
