The new Diva in town shines on ...
J. Taylor | United Kingdom | 10/28/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"So here it is, the follow up to "I'm outta love". It took a while for people to tap into the sparkling talent but "love" has finally exploded ALL OVER the world and Anastacia is on her way to reaching dizzy heights of pop stardom. This laid back second track, the title song from her satisfying debut CD, sounds like it was recorded live with raw, simple instrumentation and Anastacia's gritty, soaring vocals. The comparisons to Taylor Dayne are never going to stop but at least when she wears her glasses, Anastacia has a completely unique look. Exclusive to Australia, this single contains Matty's funky "Soulfower Mix" of "love" (which was available on the US maxi), a brand new, slow tempo, non-album track "Nothin' at all" (which is fine -showcasing shades of early Mariah Carey but sounding very much like something Taylor would have sung back in the 80's) + 4 softcore remixes of "kind". The remixes are nothing special -no where near matching the perfection of early Mariah/Morales remixes or even coming close to the success of the "love" mixes. Hex Hector must have been busy -which I suppose makes a change but he is missed here! Ric Wake pumps it up a touch for his "Club Final" -7:58 which is fine enough but nothing like his fantastic mix of Celine's "Misled". The excellent "Vocal Mix" -6:52 from Keri Chandler leads in with a jazzy piano underneath the power-house vocals until the house beats kick in and drive the song through to a gospel party finale + the "Organ Dub" -6:53 takes off where the last mix ends. Anyone who liked Mary Mary's "Shackles", + the remixes, will fall in love with the Chandler mixes. Then Maurice Joshua (fresh from re-working "Shackles" and anything going by Destinys Child) gets funky for his "Chicken Pox Club Mix" -7:32, with Chic-like guitars playing under the jazzy vocals and those Joshua house beats. To give the girl credit, Anastacia sounds like she had fun singing/recording this track -her vocals strong and full of pride.However, unlike the club mixes that took "love" to the top of the dance charts, these mixes and this song are less likely to hit with the club kids but the pop crowd will love it. It does prove that there is more than meets the eye/ear and certainly paves the way forward for her album, which encompasses various styles and tempos and is definitely not a dance project. OPEN YOUR EARS + YOUR HEARTS. PS Check out Part 2 of this set from Australia and hear Matty's fantastic, nine-minute, unreleased "Deep Club Mix" of "I'm outta love"."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1