Search - Animal Logic :: Animal Logic

GL G. (tatatita)
Reviewed on 2/19/2007...

This is really great music (for certain tastes). An overlooked gem. Stewart Copeland's only post-Police band I believe (though of course not his only music). The story I heard was she (like Sting) was a school teacher who aspired to pop infamy and wrote almost the entire album.

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Eminently Worth Owning

Peter V. Giansante | Far Point Station | 04/17/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I bought the CD in 1990 purely on the strength of Stuart Copeland's and Stanley Clarke's reputations. I wasn't disappointed. I can't say that I love every song on the album, but with the kind of musicianship I expect (and get!) from Copeland & Clarke, every song is at least interesting. They arranged & produced the album, and it shows in the quality of the production and the music. There are a few songs that will absolutely grab you right from the first listen: "There's a Spy (In the House of Love)"; "Someday We'll Understand"; "As Soon As The Sun Goes Down"; "Firing up the Sunset Gun". They're dynamic, well-conceived, well-produced, but you could say that about a lot of tunes by a lot of artists; the real quality of these tunes is that they are MELODIC, a characteristic that seems to be lacking in so much music that is otherwise...uh, flawless, I guess. I won't name names, but everybody has heard the stuff I'm talking about... music that is technically superb, but it has no fire. The four tunes listed above don't have that affliction. You will catch yourself humming them after you've heard them.Deborah Holland's voice has great range and power, and blends well with itself. (She had to sing all the harmonies; despite her pleadings, Copeland & Clarke steadfastly refused to sing on the album.) Elsewhere in these reviews, others have noted that you will either love her voice or hate it. Maybe so; her voice is very distinctive, so I suppose that automatically invokes personal preference as a factor. Personally, I like her voice... a lot.Of the songs I've mentioned above, "Sunset Gun" is the best. It covers such a phenomenal range of emotion and dynamics. It's a simple melodic structure, but it's so well crafted that it seems to be much more. I found the chords on the guitar, and it's dirt simple; but it's got enough surprises in its arrangement and progression that you never lose interest for all its simplicity. The little shot of inside harmony vocal on Verse 2 "You can be safe from it..." is pure inspired genius. The 4-chord-add-9 at the end of the bridge is brilliant, and the vocal fade into reverb-space falls out beautifully into Clarke's bass solo, punctuated by Copeland's explosive drumbursts. It's a truly masterful piece of work.

As for the rest of the tunes, they're all well crafted, if not as catchy on first listen. This is an album that will grow on you if you give it a chance, which might sound like damning with faint praise, but I don't know any other way to tell it. That's exactly the way it happened for me. It's a solid four stars."

Solid pop, but...

Nicole N. Pellegrini | Philadelphia, PA | 06/14/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"...still a little disappointing given the talents involved. Deborah Holland has a voice you will either enjoy or it will grate on your nerves very quickly. She writes some interesting material, however, which makes these songs a cut above your typical pop fare. Still, it feels as if Copeland and Clarke are holding back considerably, especially when compared to more interesting stuff they do musically on "Animal Logic II" which I consider definitely the superior album."