Search - Juice Newton :: Juice / Quiet Lies

A truly great CD, but get the Australian version!

Invisiboy2001 | Chicago, IL United States | 01/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The five stars above are for the actual work by Juice Newton and company -- and the review of the actual CD is down below. This paragraph exists solely to inform you that Raven Records, an Australian label, put out a beautifully REMASTERED version of this collection in 2003. The Collectables edition is not remastered and therefore has inferior sound quality to the Australian version, which even features a bonus track of a Juice Newton hit! Spend your money wisely; shell out the extra few dollars and grab the Raven version. This edition is simply music from the original masters pasted on to a CD and not digitially enhanced to preserve its original sound quality. The import is better, and it doesn't cost much more!



Now for the review of the music ...



In 1982 and 1983, Juice Newton was Billboard's Album Artist of the Year ... and the albums contained on this disc are why! This compilation contains Newton's two platinum-selling efforts from the early '80s. The hits everyone knows are here, but there's some stunning non-hit material as well, such as the beautifully painful "I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can," which acts as a wonderful complement to "Angel of the Morning" since both songs are about the fallout from one-night stands. Another treasure on this CD is the Newton-penned "River of Love," a meditation on the elusive nature of love.



The collection traverses through a variety of styles, including classic country ("Falling In Love", "Texas Heartache"), roots rock ("Queen of Hearts", "Trail of Tears"), torch music ("Break It To Me Gently", "I'm Gonna Be Strong"), and very-'80s pop ("Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me", a huge hit in 1982). While one would doubt that the vocalist could attain and enhance all these styles, Newton's voice is multi-layered, expressive and strong throughout, with just the right amount of power and vulnerability. Standout tracks include "Break It To Me Gently," (for which Newton finally won a Grammy for Best Female Vocalist in 1983) "Shot Full Of Love," "The Sweetest Thing," "River of Love" and "I'm Gonna Be Strong."



This CD is loaded with wonderful Urban Cowboy-era music. Stow your Shania Twain CDs and give a listen to the lady who paved the way for artists like Twain.



"

5 Stars for the music, 0 stars for the sound quality

80s Music Fiend | Georgia | 08/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As the first reviewer has already so eloquently explained, the mastering on this issue is abyssmal. Something he failed to mention is the fact that every single track is cut-off before the fade completes. Listening on my car stereo I was stunned that this was the case. It's painfully obvious on a couple of tracks, including "Queen of Hearts" and "Heart of the Night."



These are two wonderful albums, so pick up the Australian version on Raven Records. Not only is the mastering fantastic, there are detailed liner notes as well, something that is conspicuously missing on this cheap pressing."