Review of Lisa Stansfield : Lisa Stansfield
After a hiatus of several years, Lisa Stansfield released her self-titled CD, a collection of soulful musings and R&B rumblings. Heralded by many as the white queen of soul, Stansfield rises to the occasion with songs like "Never Gonna Fall," "The Real Thing," and "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up." Her smooth voice effortlessly coaxes every drop of emotion out of each song with an admirable and classy restraint. Nowhere is this more evident than in the neo-torch numbers, "I'm Leavin'" and "I Cried My Last Tear, Last Night." The album ends with the bootleg mix of her earlier hit, "People Hold On." A juggernaut of a bass line rumbles underneath, also approximated in Tori Amos's dance mix of "Professional Widow." Stansfield's voice glides over the infectious house groove, making the cut a dance floor staple. --Steve Gdula

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Your latest reviews - Lisa Stansfield : Great album, superb voice
I once read a magazine article with Lisa Stansfield in which she "apologised" to her fans for this album, saying she got too self indulgent with the songs and "lost the plot"...all I can say is that if this shows Lisa at her most personal, then please, please, can we have more of the same?
This is the only album by Lisa Stansfield that I REALLY like, the others all struck me as rather safe and formulaic. But here, the songs are full of great melodies, instrumentation, soul, and of course, Lisa's wonderful voice. As soon as the lush title track is over, the 2nd song "Never Set Me Free" surprises you immediately with its languid tempo and 70's lounge influenced horn instrumentation. It's a seductive and sexy number that keeps you swaying along all the way through it. And it's not the only one. For a similar vein try "Sweet Memories": just as easy on the ear, and a bit more bittersweet lyrically. Even better is "She's Always There", a really poignant and touching ballad about a loyal but mistreated woman. Again, a great shuffling rhythm and as always, outstanding vocals from Lisa. For uptempo numbers, the album is well served by "Too Much Lovemaking" and "Marvellous and Mine", the latter being a personal favourite, with a really tight and funky beat to it. Actually, the production of all the songs is very economical all round, which sounds like a criticism, but I am being positive here, as I think it makes for a surpisingly effective minimalist and lean feel, with not an ounce of fat on any of the tracks. Cutting away unnecessary elaboration leaves the songs crisp and immediately catchy, and it's a trend I would love to see other artists try and emulate. My least favourite track on the album is one that seems a common favourite, going by other reviewers opinions of this album - I don't like the re-working of the John Barry song "In All The Right Places" (from Indecent Proposal), that appears on this CD, which does not hold a candle to the classier and slightly darker version that appears on the original soundtrack CD (also with Lisa as vocalist). Still, you could also buy that soundtrack, as it's a great album as well! But Lisa Stansfield fans - don't pass up this album. I've only mentioned a few tracks by name, but nearly every song is a winner. Lisa should let her intuition guide her more often, in my opinion, if this is the result.