Search - Bananarama :: Exotica

Bananarama Reinvented

Jason Fisher | Seattle, WA United States | 04/11/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"After another long absence, Bananarama have once again returned with EXOTICA. Originally conceived as a sort of retrospective (rumored to be titled 'Twenty Years')with all new remixes of old hits, Keren and Sara whittled the remixes down to their four biggest hits and included eight brand new songs. Here is a brief review of each track:1. "If" - With sultry lyrics, a catchy chorus, varying rhythms and a stomping dance beat, this is a great opener and one of the best songs on the CD. 2. "Starz" - This song is a bit of a grower. The chorus is again quite catchy and gets stuck in your head. However, the song would have benefitted from a clearer stylistic point of view. With more of a euro-pop flavor, Starz would sound like a peppy, fun S Club 7 or Steps tune. Or, by playing up the disco bass line and faintly noticeable wah-wah guitar and adding strings, this could have been a great retro-sounding 70s disco song. Instead, the song ends up being okay, but not great.3. "What You Gonna Do" - This is another highlight of the album. A moody, atmospheric, down-tempo song that is miles away from the sunny, bouncy S/A/W hits of yore. Mature Bananarama at their best.4. "Cruel Summer" - A well-conceived latin flavored reworking of their classic hit complete with additional lyrics and clever arrangements.5. "Crazy" - Another standout track. Again, slowing down the tempo, this is almost a ballad but with lyrics like "I'm sick and tired of you/and everything you say/and everything you do/get out of my face/because you're crazy". Instead of a bold, declarative tone, these lines are unexpectedly delivered in a sing-song, almost mantra-like way that surprisingly works.6. "Boom" - A serious disappointment. A demo version of this song has been circulating via the internet since '97. Although lacking in production values, the original incarnation of the song had a campy, brash feel to it and a great bridge with Sara slyly singing "Come on over here and let me feel just how much you really want me." In the new version, the bridge is gone and the song seems overproduced with the attitude of the original version completely gone. Effort is made to give the song some edge with a funky, Prince-like guitar but to no avail.7. "Robert de Niro's Waiting" - A very different take on the original classic hit. A shuffly groove, more contemplative, brooding vocals, and electronic sounds. A vocoder is used on Keren's vocal which actually does work with the quirky digital bleeps and tones. (It's unfortunate that the vocoder has become so trendy that even Faith Hill has used it because ultimately, it will make this track sound dated. However, I personally think it's use in this recording seems appropriate in context rather than gratitous.)8. "Careless Whisper" - A cover of the old Wham tune. Interesting in conception and in some ways an improvement (gone is the cheesy saxaphone) but the vocals seem out of step at times and extrememly awkard during the "Tonight the music seems so loud. . ." portion of the song. Although this is the song being promoted in France as the first single, Keren and Sara would be wise to reconsider releasing this internationally. ("If" gets my pick for best potential for a hit and would be a great debut single.) 9. "Sleep" - another major disappointment. As with "Boom", a demo of this made its way around the internet and was superior to this new version. The lyrics and melody have a kind of despondent, bittersweetness to them and the demo version musically supported this mood. The new version inexplicably tries to marry the original vocals with a sort of R & B groove that simply doesn't work. Virtually unlistenable.10. "I Heard A Rumour" - This is a decent update on the original and better than the "Corporation of Bananarama" remix that surface in '89. The vocoder on this one doesn't seem necessary though and isn't effective the way it is on Robert De Niro's Waiting.11. "Got A Thing For You" - This has a classic R & B flavor to it with a bit of an All Saints vibe. Almost reminiscent of an old Marvin Gaye type of song but with an electronic twist to it. An interesting grower of a song.12. "Venus" - Bananarama's original rendition of this song will always be the best, no way around it. However, this version has its merits. It has a hypnotic groove and some minor key synth sounds lend a slightly spooky tone. This one doesn't make you want to get up and dance, maybe just stand and sway."

They are back with a vengeance

Rodolfo Fuentes | Santa Fe Springs, CA United States | 04/10/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bananarama is back after 5 years with a new album that has great new songs as well as 4 redone hits of their past success.Their last CD Ultra Violet as thrashed as it has been was a great dance album making the floors of many discos in Europe and also in the US quite hot on the dance scene. This Album Exotica has a different format making it quite versatile and atractive for all audiences.I rate it a five star. My favorite songs are Cruel Summer, IF, Careless Whispers, I heard a rumour, Starz and What you gonna do? Boom is also a catchy tune that went around as a demo since 1997 and finally made it out for everyone to enjoy.I recommend this album very strongly."

They're Back

NSCanada | 04/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here it is, Bananarama's first CD since the disappointing Ultra Violet in 1995. Exotica is packed with great new pop tunes and reinventions of four old ones. Exotica has great production, under the direction of French dance producer Pascal Caubet. My personal favorites are the upbeat "Starz" and the house influenced "If". I also love the reinventions of "I Heard A Rumour" with its pounding bassline and the latin feel of "Cruel Summer". I highly recommend this CD. It is my favorite Bananarama Cd since Pop Life in 1991."