Disco de Sheena Easton: “Do You”

After the success of her previous album A PRIVATE HEAVEN, Sheena Easton apparently felt the need to follow it up with like-minded material. Enlisting Madonna's LIKE A VIRGIN producer and Chic mastermind Nile Rodgers, DO YOU is awash in what typified music of that era--alot of drum machines and synths. Unfortunately, like most of Easton's albums around that time, the music found within hasn't held up terribly well. The album builds alot on the sounds of the previous album, though it's a bit more upbeat, so it's somewhat surprising that it was a commercial failure. The set's first single, 'Do It For Love', may come off at first listen like a Madonna cast-off, but it remains not only one of Easton's most underrated singles, but the best track on the album. Among the other tracks, 'Don't Turn Your Back', Money Back Guarantee', and 'When The Lightning Strikes' leave the most lasting impression, but again, the slightly dated production detracts somewhat from the overall feel of the album. On a positive note, Easton's vocal work is first-rate,some of her best in fact. Overall, a pretty decent effort.

If I didn't know better, I'd say Sheena Easton's "Do You" album is what Nu Shooz were listening to when they planned their "Poolside" LP, except "Do You" has far better production values and songwriting. No surprise considering this was produced by Nile Rogers, formerly of the '70s disco group Chic and successful record producer of icons such as Diana Ross, Debbie Harry, David Bowie and Madonna, among others.

"Do You" was released in late 1985 and did not reach the heights of Sheena's previous album "A Private Heaven". This was probably due to the fact that "Heaven" had two Top-10 singles to its credit, where the single releases from this record all but fizzled out on Billboard, with only the first single, "Do It For Love" reaching #29 on the Hot 100.

This collection of songs has to be Sheena's most underrated. The album and its singles did not make a big splash overall, but in retrospect, this is a smooth, glossy '80s dance-pop record with plenty of catchy hooks in most of the songs.

While the R&B sound that dominated Sheena's forthcoming "The Lover in Me" album in 1988 is not yet evident, this release is a nice transition from the sassy, industrial beat of "Strut" and Minneapolis sound of "Sugar Walls". When she emerged two years later as an R&B diva, the transformation was not exactly shocking or unexpected, but a seemingly natural progression.

"Do It For Love" has an engaging Oriental synth effect as well as interesting echoes on Sheena's vocals. It certainly deserved to be a much bigger hit than it was. If you listen closely you can hear that unmistakeable Nile Rogers guitar sound; it's just not at the forefront as it was during the Chic/Sister Sledge heyday. The album version of this track is also a bit longer than the single version.

The momentum keeps going with the fun, upbeat "Don't Break My Heart", which predates the sound that Debbie Gibson would adopt a couple years later, except--of course, Sheena doesn't sound as "bubblegum". There's a great, twangy guitar break on this one.

To me, the slower, sexy "Magic of Love" is what Chic would have sounded like had they still been making records in 1985-86.

My favorite cut on the album is the mid-tempo, sassy number "Don't Turn Your Back". Again, Rogers' guitar work is there, it's just farther back in the mix and a little overpowered by the drum machines. The backing vocals on this one are terrific as are the keyboards.

Sheena does a high-spirited, rousing but by-the-numbers cover of Martha & the Vandellas' 1967 classic "Jimmy Mack". It's one of the album's high points and she suprisingly does a Motown Classic absolute justice.

The irressistibly funky "Can't Wait Til Tomorrow" is '80s dance-pop at its best (shades of Teena Marie) that features great percussion and a cowbell.

The dance-rock number "Young Lions", though not necessarily bad, is probably the weakest cut due to some cliched lyrics and it ultimately turns into Sheena's "Tarzan Boy". This one hasn't aged well.

"Kisses" borrows the Oriental sound of "Do It For Love" and slows it down a notch. Not an outstanding track, but pretty good. Sheena's sexy vocals make it worthwhile.

A chant-and-handclap intro brings us my second favorite cut, the bouncy dance number "Money Back Guarantee". The influence of this song can be heard in more recent fare like Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl". Try to sit still when listening to this one--impossible!

"When Lightning Strikes Again" is an average laid-back closer, that sounds like something Expose would be using as filler in a few years. Speaking of Expose, Sheena sounds a lot like Ann Curless at times on this album, or should I say vice versa.

The bonus tracks are not Must-Haves this time around. The best is the extended Dance Mix of "Do It For Love". The instrumental version is pointless unless you want it for karaoke. There is also an edited version of "Money Back Guarantee", which is kind of redundant.

The most underrated album in Sheena's '80s catalog, "Do You" is definitely worth rediscovering. I hadn't listened to it for 20 years and was surprised how much better it sounds all these years later, compared to the horrible auto-tuned, cold mechanical divas of today (Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Taylor Swift).

This relaese by Sheena Easton came hot off the heels of her successful A PRIVATE HEAVEN album in the late fall of 1985. The project was produced by Nile Rogers who was the hot producer of the day given his monster success with Madonna's LIKE A VIRGIN album. Some of the music on this CD has a retro-60's feel to it (Jimmy Mack, Don't Break My Heart) that is similar to the sound Nile Rogers employed on Madonna's LIKE A VIRGIN album. It is obvious to the listener that LIKE A VIRGIN was on everybody's mind going into the making of this project. Sheena is a first-rate pop singer and it is evident on tracks like "Do It For Love", "Can't Wait Till Tomorrow", and the subtle scorcher "Kisses". Those tracks along with her cover of Martha & The Vandella's "Jimmy Mack" are among the best tracks on the album. The track "Magic of Love" is about 3 minutes too long and the very-80's sounding ballad "When The Lightening Strikes Again" are some of the albums weakest moments. The bonus tracks consist of extended versions of the track "Do It For Love" which actually sounds better in it's "single edit" form and not the ponderous extended versions offered here. Overall it is a strong set of songs for anyone who likes Sheena Easton.

I really enjoy this album. The music is upbeat and very well done. Unlike what some other reviewers thought, I think this is a great display of Sheena's incredible vocals. Her previous albums tended to be a bit intense in their content. Here, the music is light and breezy. One reason may be that Sheena had just gotten married, so her wedded bliss, albeit temporary, may very well have influenced her musical choices.

I love the songs that give her voice a bit of a challenge. "Don't Turn Your Back" is one. "Jimmy Mack", a re-make was very well done; I love "Young Lions" and "When The Lightning Strikes", co-written by Dan Hartman, who brought us the '80's hit, "I Can Dream About You". "Money Back Guarantee" takes the romance out of love and reminds us of Pre-nups. Overall, I enjoyed this album.

The opinions of Sheena Easton fans are pretty much divided 50/50 when it comes to the album "DO YOU." The fans either LOVE IT or DISAPPROVE of it, yet it is too good a work for anyone to hate. I think the problem with this division is not the work, but the mindset of the listener. Too often fans of an artist get "stuck" in one perception of an artist, and wind up reacting instead of receiving. Just like the actor/actress who gets "typecast," musical artists have to fight to break through the limitations set by fans' and record companies' expectations of who the artist is. In turn, the fans and record companies should be listening to the artist tell THEM who the artist is. The artist is, if we are lucky, a growing, evolving human being, and their work should be viewed in the same light. That temporary exploration and periodic return to the "expected" is what keeps an artist and their work from stagnating.

"DO YOU" is Sheena Easton's best work, not only vocally but also technically. Nile Rodgers' choice of instruments, arrangements, and other production elements, along with Sheena Easton's exquisite vocal abilities make this a superior 80's POP/ROCK/R&B album, NOT a superior ADULT CONTEMPORARY album like Sheena's 1987 album "No Sound But A Heart," or 1993's "No Strings." If fans only want that kind of material, that's what they should play on their stereo, and stop complaining about the certain works that don't "meet their expectations." It would stand to reason that a fan of an artist would, at least, support the works of said artist which might not exactly be his or her favorite. I like the music so much that I would like it even if it were just an instrumental Nile Rodgers album.

My favorite tracks are the xylophone-laden "Do It For Love," the frenetic "Don't Break My Heart," the intense rocker "Don't Turn Your Back," the perky cover of the Motown classic, "Jimmy Mack," the smooth-funk "Can't Wait Til Tomorrow," and the best track, "When The Lightning Strikes Again." On the original release, "When The Lightning Strikes Again," written by Dan Hartman, was the last track on the album/CD. It builds with each prominent instrument added, layer upon layer, in the first minute or so, before Sheena Easton's vocal track begins. It should have been released as a single, and could have been the big crossover single that radio would have eaten up. It's a GREAT MELODY, and would have played well on POP/ROCK, R&B, and ADULT CONTEMPORARY radio stations alike. Over time, it has become my favorite individual track from Sheena Easton's entire span of work.

Check it out. If it's not your style, that's fine---just switch to another Sheena CD that is more "up your alley" (see the back cover graphics).