Search - Fire Island, Loleatta Holloway :: Shout to the Top

Loleatta Holloway shouts it out!

David Kaminsky | Edmonton, Alberta Canada | 05/22/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Lovely, 70s-inspired disco single written, surprisingly, by Paul Weller. Loleatta's voice is fierce and full of passion, and the violins and background chorus perfectly compliment her powerful vocals. The "Fire Island radio edit" was featured in the original (UK) production of "Queer as Folk," and it very quickly caught fire in the discos across Canada. The "Club 69 future dub" is more metallic, with a pulsating beat and crashing percussion. In this second version, the song is unrecognizable until four minutes into it, when Loleatta's vocal begins. The rest of the mix sounds like a Barry Harris/Pepper Mashay production. Interesting in its own way but, without the powerful vocals and brisk pacing of the radio edit, the song gets a bit lost in overblown production. Still, 4 stars on the strength of the first version."