Disco de Sheena Easton: “Lover in Me”

I received this album for christmas and from the moment I put in my player, I loved it. I am a Sheena fan, however, and had heard "The Lover In Me", "Days Like This", "101", "No Deposit, No Return", and "Follow My Rainbow". Those songs were all released somewhere in the world as singles. Anyway, this is a great album, and here is a synopsis track by track to guide you (to the add to shopping cart button).

1. "No Deposit, No Return"-This was a song released as a single in the U.S. It did not chart on any chart. It is somewhat a weaker track than others, but it's still enjoyable. The beat is very good also.

2. "The Lover In Me"-This is definitely the most memorable song from this album. It reached number 2 on the Billboard Pop Charts. This is also the song that persuaded me to listen to her later dance material. It's just a great song.

3. "Follow My Rainbow"-This is an outstanding ballad written solely by a big name on this album, Babyface. This was released as a single only in Germany. It did not chart anywhere according to sources. The part that is so great about this ballad is that it is something you would find on a dance album. The R&B ballads really fits into the puzzle here.

4. "Without You"-This is a mid-tempo song that is another R&B song that works great on this album. I just love the flute solo starting at about 3:26. This probably should have been a single.

5. "If It's Meant To Last"-It was mentioned in the booklet that this song was produced by a previous co-worker of Madonna. That's interesting. It has a very catchy chorus with a fitting key change after the bridge. This is another great track.

6. "Days Like This"-This was the second single released in the U.S. It charted at 36 on the R&B chart. The beat here is great and the fresh R&B sound definitely shines here.

7. "One Love"-Feel the beat here! There is definitely single potential on this track. The pounding synths fit with this track very well. The beat here is strong is a danceable. This is also one of many tracks on this album that try to project Sheena's new image.

8. "101"-This could possibly be the best track on this album. A dance remix of this track charted at number 2 on the dance charts. That is also the remix included on this album. Prince wrote this song as Joey Coco and we all know Prince + Sheena=Good Music!

9. "Cool Love"-This track was written by Prince also. This is a bit of a weaker track in my opinion. It is still a pretty catchy R&B song.

10. "Fire And Rain"-This is a nice song to end an R&B dance album. It's a nice moderate mid-tempo ballad.

So, as you can see, "The Lover In Me" is the CD to get! The new sound of R&B dance was clearly for Sheena Easton. As to the remixes, the best one is the dance remix of "101". It's nice to have that on this CD because that is the version that charted on the dance charts. So, stop thinking about it and just buy the CD!

Possessed of one of the more glorious voices in pop music during the '80s, Sheena Easton was coming off the disappointment of her underwhelming, though musically solid,DO YOU album(as well as lack of release in the states of her NO SOUND BUT A HEART project) when she signed with a new label and released what remains her creative benchmark, THE LOVER IN ME. Beautifully melding pop, R&B, funk, and adult contemporary, it remains her most musically diverse and fully realized project thirteen years later. L.A. and Babyface, in the middle of one of their most successful periods, produced half the album, chief among those tracks being the title cut, as well as 'Days Like This' and 'No Deposit,No Return'. Angela Winbush provides the utterly beautiful 'Without You', as well as one of Easton's most R&B-oriented tracks ever in 'Fire And Rain'. The standout though is the Prince-produced '101', a stunning pop-funk workout that exquisitely showcases Easton's vocal range and remains a creative watermark in her career--it should have been a huge hit. Unfortunately, her record label was MCA, which in case you don't know, ruins careers(see the equally career-maligned Belinda Carlisle and Pebbles for further proof). This should have been a massive crossover album, rather than the mild success it ended up being.

In late 1988, Sheena Easton teamed up with three producers for this project: The then-red-hot production team of L.A. Reid and Babyface; Angela Winbush and Prince and the result was the best, most consistent album of her career.

Sheena had already shed the goody-two-shoes image she projected early in the decade by hooking up with Prince and recording such bad-girl fare as "Sugar Walls" and "U Got The Look".

By the time she recorded this album, Sheena was a pop siren with a killer body whose voice was never better.

The typical LA/Babyface percussion opens the album with "No Deposit, No Return". It's very representative of the Minneapolis sound and even has some of the S.O.S. Band's "The Finest" in its blood. There's some great piano in it and Sheena has never sounded sassier, even more so than she did on "Strut".

The momentum keeps going with "The Lover in Me" which reached #2 on Billboard in early 1989 and was a big club hit. "Lover" swings with the Minneapolis sound (the only songs that best it IMO are "Everybody Dance" by Tamara & the Seen and "Fishnet" by Morris Day) and is pure pop/dance perfection. There's a great piano/saxophone break; gorgeous, clipped string accents throughout, as well as Sheena's sultry spoken passages. This is perhaps my second favorite track on the album.

After the fantastic "Lover", things slow down, perhaps TOO much on "Follow My Rainbow". It brings the album to a dead halt. The effect is like hitting a brick wall after completing laps at the Indy 500. The song would have been better with a slightly quicker tempo, maybe something like Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time". "Rainbow" is typical '80s easy-listening muzak, perhaps the weakest track here. It does feature backing vocals by Babyface though.

Next is "Without You", another slower number, but thankfully more upbeat than "Rainbow". Sheena sings in a sexy lower register on it. The guitar gives it a power-pop-lite flavour, though it does suffer a little from a basic repetitive chorus. It's not bad but not great either.

The superbly upbeat "If It's Meant to Last" was produced by Jellybean Benitez and is like a big party from start to finish. The drumming is excellent, and the bells and chimes add to the whimsical flavour. This is one of the most fun, enjoyable songs here.

Side Two (in the days of vinyl) opens with "Days Like This", which features the Wedding March filtered through a strangely-gloomy synth. It has interesting keyboards and the darker tone of the lyrics matches the slightly offbeat music. It, too, has that familiar Minneapolis dance sound.

"One Love" features the same production as "Days" but is different enough to be just as good, if not slightly better. It even has backup vocals by The Deele.

The big showstopper and my favorite track comes in the smoldering "101". From the steady, erotic beat to the way Sheena pants and wails her way through this one, it is spectacular. It has Prince's stamp all over it and the lyrics paint the picture so well you can practically visualize a dark room full of 99 candles. The music has a sense of uneasiness about it with odd noises such as exploding cannons and airplanes crashing. Sheena has never sounded so passionate and committed. Her vocals coupled with the neurotic arrangement can't help the listener from feeling her spiraling out of control. Just try and not feel her pain when she wails "WHYYY can't you come see about me".

Prince also brings us "Cool Love". Though not as layered and complex as "101", it's likeable and is interesting the way the guitar solo gives way to a cello before the guitar takes over again.

The closing number is another slow number, the sultry ballad "Fire and Rain". This is probably the best of the slow jams, and features prominent backup by Angela Winbush.

Sheena's earlier albums contained too much filler and ballads for me to love them as I do this one. The production on this album really showed off Sheena in her best light and I recommend it as her best work.

"The Lover in Me" was released in December of 1988, and for a minute there it looked as if the 2nd phase of Sheena Easton's career was going to bear fruit. It was a good idea that didn't really pan out.

In the last three years or so of the 1980s, "R&B" music was becoming less and less obscure, and was being thrust into the mainstream pop scene. After 7 generic pop albums, the final 2, of which, were poorly received, Sheena signed with a new label, in this case MCA, and sexed up her image and sound. "The Lover in Me" features that "new" R&B sound. Unfortunately, however, it was widely considered contrivance, as Sheena was merely jumping onto a bandwagon (which isn't her fault because she had NO control over her career at this point).

Contrivance or not, many of the songs are very glossy, exquisitely produced, and are a lot of fun. There were 4 singles: "The Lover in Me," "Days Like This," "101," (written by Prince) and "No Deposit, No Return." Sadly, "The Lover in Me" was the only hit, and it charted all the way up at #2 pop. "Days Like This" and "101" were hits on the R&B chart, but "No Deposit, No Return" was dead on arrival.

As usual, we get the standard Sheena Easton fare, from the danceable and catchy "If it's Meant to Last," to the adult-contemporary-friendly "Without You," to the tender ballads "Follow My Rainbow" and the sexy "Fire and Rain." Sex is a big key with this album. Sheena's vocals were always sleek and seductive, and this time the seductiveness is shoved right out front for all the world to witness (and if you look at the cover of the album you'll see exactly what I mean: the "hot" late 80s perm, the "hot" red dress, the "hot" red lips, the "hot" cleavage).

As usual, my favorite song is one of the singles that didn't chart very high, or in this case not at all, the Price-penned "101." This single song is everything Sheena had solidified throught the 1980s; it has a terrific, ominous beat; interesting, thoughtful, pondering lyrics; and, of course, Sheena's oustanding vocal, with sex thrown in for good measure. In this song, Sheena sings mostly in her lower-register, and this is something we don't hear very often.

Perhaps unfortunately, this album is NOT a reissue (because Sheena had signed with a different label, remember), so that means we don't get any bonus-previously-unreleased songs. It's interesting to wonder what else Sheena and the moneymakers at MCA might've come up with.

By the way, I mention a "2nd phase" in Sheena's career. This album was the first of that phase, and 1991's "What Comes Naturally" was the second.

Sheena Easton is a great talent with great versatility and awesome vocals. This set was from the 80's when her popularity was lessening. One listen to this and you will wonder why for this is an amzing set. Music at that time was trendy but she managed to create a cohesive set of quality dance tracks, r@b and ballads. All the songs have true substance and utilize her amazing range so the recording remains timeless.

The hit of course was the title track THE LOVER IN ME but there are many standouts here. NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN is a very catchy uptempo number, FOLLOW MY RAINBOW is a beautiful ballad and DAYS LIKE THIS and FIRE AND RAIN are great r@b tracks. The best song here though is 101 where Sheena gives one of her best performances. The song is intense, sensual and uses all her talents.

The remastering here is excellent and provides great sound quality. There are also 4 bonus tracks of dance remixes. This cd is a must for all Sheena Easton fans. I wish all her albums would be reissued with the sound quality here.