Search - Lisa Stansfield :: Face Up

Oh my gosh! If this isn't one of her best!

LadyBelle | PA, USA | 04/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Come on get with it! This is definitely one of "Mrs." Stansfield's best albums to date. This is one of my absolute favorites from Lisa, there are so many of her best, most recent, songs on this album. Lisa's albums only get better with age, and thank goodness for that! Lisa has said that she thought to be one of her best albums, and I agree. Get this CD and be thrilled with the superb vocals(from the one and only Lisa Stanfield) and wonderful songs, you will not be disappointed!"

Too much, too little, too "light"

T. Norton | key west | 11/09/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"It is obvious that all concerned got carried away with the optimistism of this project. The song ideas are all brilliant at their very core, but the lack of a real rhythym section playing live (as well as the absence of an outside production voice) have prevented the vital essence that some honest critique in the production process would have lent to this effort. I felt myself wanting LESS songs , had they been produced with a live rhythm section and "worked up". Also the album lacks those instrumental moments that make an album shine: even a SINGER'S projects should employ and stretch a wider array of musicians. The overall effect of the production here equates to a very slick "demo". Ian Devaney is a crackerjack writer, arranger, and producer, as well a REAL musician himself. One can only assume he was too amongst the trees to notice the growing forest around him.

After some additional listening, I'm softening my stance a bit with this edited review. Of note are the songs "you can do that" (an affirming and sticky light groove that hooks the listener immediately and show's Ian's knack for sparing and effective horn arrangement), "how could you?" (a Bacharach-tribute arrangement with a bold dynamic jolt in the chorus), "face up" (hypnotic and helpful mantra for those timid in love...), and "let's just call it love" (an off-the-cuff techno groove that's undeniably hip and spontaneous and keeps Lisa "in-character" despite new sonic territory). "831" should have been farmed-out to a teen act, where it would have sold lorries-full! Lisa just sounds a little to grown-up to pitch it's bubblegum mania. "Wish on Me" suffers from an under-developed lyric and would have been stunning in a more organic recording; here it sounds too slick and registers as insincere. "candy" would be wickedly delicious if done in "crunch funk" style with a live R&B band.

I can understand Lisa's disappointment at the lack of a great reception for something she'd worked long and hard on. I guess the point here is that a little less indulgence is sometimes a good thing. You will find at least 3 songs here you dig, more if you're a Lisa fan, so I'll not dis-recommend it, I'll just say "DIABETICS BEWARE".... No matter what, Lisa's THE universal songstress of her brit generation, watch her space!"

Excellent

barry | Boston, MA United States | 10/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lisa Stansfield has an amazing voice - articulate and expressive with great range and power. FACE UP was an excellent release and this 2003 reissued edition with bonus tracks is amazing. The packaging is beautiful and the remastered sound quality is crystal clear.



Lisa Stansfield is very eclectic in her style of music. She starts from the r@b genre but ventures into exploratory pop, dance and jazz. The hit here is LET'S JUST CALL IT LOVE. This song as well as the opener I'VE GOT SOMETHING BETTER are both sensual, rythmic r@b jams. There is very little filler here on the 14 tracks (plus 2 bonus). Standout ballads are HOW COULD YOU, WISH ON ME and WHEN THE LAST SUN GOES DOWN. Her voice soars and carresses each note. But the standout ballad, indeed the standout of the whole set, is DIDN'T I a ballad that is heartwerenching and beautifully interpreted here.



When Lisa does pop it is very mature adult oriented pop with a tinge of r@b. Standouts are I'M COMING TO GET YOU, 8-3-1, DON'T LEAVE NOW I'M IN LOVE and ALL OVER ME. The only tracks that are filler for me are the dance tracks CANDY and BOYFRIEND. Bottom line, Lisa Stansfield is a very underrated singer and this cd fully demonstrates her amazing vocal talent and prowess. Enjoy."