When I first heard \u201cMorning Train (Nine To Five)\u201d played on the radio, I didn\u2019t know who it was. I liked what I heard, but for all I knew it could\u2019ve been Marie Osmond. How was I supposed to know it would be an unknown artist by the name of Sheena Easton and that she came from Scotland? She was a Best New Artist for a Bright New Decade. Sheena would go on to be something of an \u201880s staple, even becoming a prot\u00e9g\u00e9 for the Artist Known (forever) as Prince (their duet \u201cU Got The Look\u201d remains my favorite Prince hit). But back in 1980, she was far from the flashy superstar and seemed intent only to make her mark as an unassuming singer with a golden voice.<\/p>\n
Between Sheena Easton and the arrival of the megawatt Madonna, Blondie\u2019s Debbie Harry didn\u2019t stand a chance. When the folks at United Artists were searching for a James Bond theme for \u201cFor Your Eyes Only,\u201d they turned down Blondie\u2019s attempt and chose up-and-coming Sheena Easton\u2019s instead. Then, with some Grammy awards to cement her status as a force to be reckoned with, Sheena had arrived. Conquering America in such a quiet way just doesn\u2019t happen anymore, but back then it did. There\u2019s something to be said for talent and Miss Easton seemed to have it in spades.<\/p>\n
So what about her eponymous debut album? If pleasant Adult Contemporary is your thing, then this should satisfy. If you\u2019re expecting something along the lines of her later hits \u201cTelefone\u201d or \u201cSugar Walls,\u201d think again. None of that sexual bravado will be found here. Sheena Easton\u2019s career has always reminded me of Olivia Newton-John\u2019s. Olivia\u2019s handlers knew how to sex up her image, especially when she went from country to pop. The film Grease<\/i> tells that<\/i> story to the letter. Same with Sheena. Put out some radio-friendly and innocent mid-tempo fare first before setting the world on fire in showing that other<\/i> side, which could potentially turn off those with more conservative tastes. Is the glam treatment nothing more than a ploy to remain a relevant chart force? Today, everything out of the gate is in-your-face, hitting you over the head. But back then, you were left to wonder.<\/p>\n
The album kicks off with the aforementioned \u201cMorning Train\u201d, which had to be retitled to avoid confusion with Dolly Parton\u2019s \u201c9 To 5.\u201d The good thing is that the #1 hit \u2013 the only Sheena Easton song with that distinction – wasn\u2019t overplayed, so it still sounds fresh. The next song \u201cDon\u2019t Send Flowers\u201d could\u2019ve been sung by Carrie Underwood, another female vocalist who struggles to hit the high notes, at least without shouting. You wouldn\u2019t think these two singers have a limited range, but they do. What\u2019s even more distracting is the dismal production by Christopher Neil. The backing vocals are a complete misfire and tend to dominate Sheena throughout the entire album. It\u2019s the kind of thing you hear in Muzak. Not good.<\/p>\n
Sheena flexes some muscle on the rock ballad \u201cPrisoner\u201d before turning on the charm for the excellent follow-up single \u201cModern Girl.\u201d If you\u2019re fortunate to own the remastered CD like I am, you\u2019ll likely agree that the bonus tracks are better than the bulk of the original album. Worth mentioning here are the stirring ballads \u201cParadox\u201d and \u201cSummer\u2019s Over.\u201d Along with the closing cut \u201cCalm Before The Storm,\u201d this haunting trilogy captures Sheena Easton at her very best.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, mature female pop such as this has become something of a distant memory. Singer-songwriters like Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson are trying to carry the torch, so kudos to them. Sheena\u2019s first five albums have become signposts of where my interest in pop music first took hold, so I tip my hat in her direction with gratitude. What this first album helps to demonstrate is that you should never forget your roots or where you came from. I\u2019m quite certain Sheena Easton made her fellow Scottish countrymen very proud.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":32009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[9428],"rating":[5615],"class_list":["post-43745","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-sheena-easton","rating-rating-b"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/43745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/43745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=43745"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=43745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}