But this is cheesy in a bad way and in a dated way. Still, Laura Branigan is no Pat Benatar.Р”Р„nd now they're doing the cheesy ballad! Not that I don't resonate with cheesy ballads. That mood comes off more believable than I would have expected. However, I am willing to give it some credit for being furious. That song worked because it had a great melody! This one doesn't. It doesn't work so well this time, obviously. The opening synth-keyboard riff rings of 'Gloria,' and it's obvious they were fishing for another Gloria-like hit. I mean, that cheesy synth we hear every once in awhile might have made a fine gimmick, but that instrumental goes nowhere! Come on! Where's the creativity? If you keep this up, we might think you're just here for the money!. This song just grows stale after 30 second.

The melody is workable but the by-the-book instrumentation didn't support the melody at all. Where's the art? Well, I'm tapping my feet at least.Р”Р„nother ballad (appropriate for the third song in an album!!) but it's not a very good one. All these guys did was take some obscure hit from Italy had Branigan sing it with average studio musicians. If it were weirder, then I probably would have given it an A+. The biggest and bestest hit single ever! The melody is much catchier than most pop hits are, and that's why this song deserves such a high score. Branigan has a decent voice, but she's no Pat Benatar I'm afraid. That's all you can ask for in the average adult contemporary love track! The problem is that it's not very uplifting, which is what it tries to be! The melody overextends its welcome by the end. The melody is fine, and the song production doesn't overkill. Well, maybe Laura Branigan wanted to make us think that she was a great lover or something? Who knows? Well, the song is OK. I usually think that most adult contemporary singers like to start their albums with upbeat rockers to get us off on the right start. Shame she died, though.)Р”Р„verage Song Score: 6.5 (Adult contemporary nonsense!)Р”Р„lbum Tilt: 6.0 (One big hit - the rest inconsequential filler.)Р”Р„rtist Rating: 5.5 (Just the ordinary corporate rock.) Overall Abum Score: 6.0 out of 10 (There's one good song, and a few others that stand as 'listenable.' Well, I've at least proved to myself that the late singer really isn't worth listening to. You can't expect art from non-artists! That doesn't mean you have to like it. Hey, she did look good in those sweet leather pants!! I do wish her debut album was more creative, but this is corporate-rock after all.

She could hit all the right notes, but the voice had no personality. It hurts me because each song had good melodic elements that had the potential to be decently average songs, but the producer/arranger had no vision and didn't do anything justice! This is one flat album!!! The fact that there's only one real embarrassment in here, the appropriately titled 'Down Like a Rock,' makes that even more tragic!Р”В«ranigan had a capable voice, but it wasn't anything special. That's more than I can say for the other tracks, which are so bland that it hurts. The melody is rather catchy and the instrumentation doesn't spoil anything. The opening ballad 'All Night With Me' is the album's second best track though it doesn't come close to matching Gloria's glory. That put quite a damper on the melodies throughout the effort, which weren't too bad.

Naturally, it took an English speaking singer to turn it into an international hit! Well, it's a keeper, certainly, although the instrumentation is boring and strictly by-the-book. 'Gloria' was a reworking of a big hit in Italy, which sounded like an Alan Parsons Project track sung in Italian. I mean, I like the song 'Gloria,' but Branigan had nothing to do with it other than sing it with boring studio musicians. I felt horrible about it even though I never really liked her music. Laura Branigan died in 2004 very unfortunately of a brain aneurysm at 47. Return to the main Odds & Sods for your daily fix of philosophical thought.

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