Swing Out Sister - Albums Collection 1987-2012 (18CD)

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Swing Out Sister - Albums Collection 1987-2012 (18CD)

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Less overtly jazz influenced than their later albums (and the only album on which the core duo of keyboardist Andy Connell and singer Corrine Drewery is joined by drummer Martin Jackson, who had formed the group with Connell in 1985), Swing Out Sister's 1987 debut It's Better to Travel is a dreamy collection of mostly electronic pop songs that manages to sound warmly organic through the judicious use of real strings and horns and Drewery's lovely voice, which recalls the throaty purr of vintage Dusty Springfield. The album spawned a worldwide hit in the coolly sophisticated "Twilight World" and an all-time classic in the sunny opening track "Breakout," one of the finest U.K. pop singles of the late '80s and one of the few hits from its era that doesn't sound completely dated in retrospect, but unlike many albums in this style, It's Better to Travel works as a complete unit. Album tracks like the Northern soul-tinged "Fooled by a Smile" and the cinematic instrumental "Theme From It's Better To Travel" are every bit as good as the singles, and the well-paced album has a natural flow. The CD adds four bonus tracks, remixes of the two hit singles, and "Surrender," plus the meditative instrumental "Communion."

Review by Stewart Mason, Allmusic.com

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Swing Out Sister - Albums Collection 1987-2012 (18CD)

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Remixes compilation.

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Swing Out Sister - Albums Collection 1987-2012 (18CD)

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After the, er, "Breakout" success of Swing Out Sister's initial releases, co-founder Martin Jackson took a back seat to the contributions of Andy Connell and vocalist Corinne Drewery. With legendary pop songwriter and producer Jimmy Webb providing arrangements, Kaleidoscope World is perhaps as pure a pop album as there could be in the two-dimensional plastic world of the late '80s. The record is chock full of lush, lively arrangements dominated by big, boisterous horns and Drewery's rich, Dusty Springfield-esque vocal. It's not surprising that Swing Out Sister found their biggest audience in Japan; that country's Pizzicato Five draws upon the same honey pot of influences, adding an electronic twist. SOS employs synths, too, most effectively as the bubbling undercurrent of "Waiting Game" or on the theatrical instrumental "Kaleidoscope Affair." But the group's ability to replicate classic forms with new technology is still its strongest suit. The technicolor horns and rich strings of cuts like "You on My Mind" and "Where in the World" draw a direct line from the 1960s, while "Tainted" grooves on an organ that suggests the later cut-and-paste work of pop experimentalists Stereolab. This CD reissue of Kaleidoscope World fleshes out the set list with instrumental versions of "Precious Words" and "Masquerade," a string mix of "Forever Blue," and the additional instrumental "Coney Island Man," which is perfect Nehru suit-wearing music.

Review by Johnny Loftus, Allmusic.com

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Swing Out Sister - Albums Collection 1987-2012 (18CD)

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Swing Out Sister - Albums Collection 1987-2012 (18CD)

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For their debut album Swing Out Sister fit in snuggly with the British sophisti-pop scene while on their follow-up they added more vintage lounge and 1960s spy soundtrack touches to what was essentially a 1980s synth pop sound. For Get in Touch With Yourself the band bring together the two approaches, making this a more sonically creative album than It's Better to Travel while at times fitting into mainstream adult contemporary more easily than Kaleidoscope World. Get in Touch With Yourself is also a stronger album overall than either, with a better-written batch of songs, including the title track, "Notgonnachange," and "Am I the Same Girl," an old '60s dancefloor hit that was rediscovered (and much sampled) after Swing Out Sister resurrected it here. For all the album's strengths, however, it shows how the band was trapped between two worlds at the early stage of their career: the retro-futurist instrumentals and sonic flourishes on Get in Touch With Yourself are probably too adventurous for mass appeal while the album is too slick, airbrushed, and tied into modern adult contemporary to draw in alternative listeners. In a way, this has always been Swing Out Sister's problem – they're either too hip or too square…and often at the same time. The songs from this album that are featured on their next release, the import-only Live at the Jazz Cafe, are infinitely more appealing and exciting than the versions heard here. Thankfully, after this album, the band would be able to bring that level of excitement to their studio albums as well. Sadly, this would cost the band any label or radio support even as the quality of their studio work improved immeasurably.

Review by Nick Dedina, Allmusic.com

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Japan Special Edition Compilation

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Swing out Sister was originally a studio-bound project who released a couple of albums before they ever played in concert, so it's surprising what an invigorating live set this is. The band throws away the glossy, synth-heavy arrangements so many of their early recordings have and let their classic soft pop, soul, and jazz influences show through. For a band who's known for loving old Burt Bacharach and 5th Dimension albums, what's surprising is how funky and earthy the band can be live. So while Swing out Sister's songwriting features the marked influence of 1960s soft rock and pop, this album combines that love with a vibrant '70s soul and funky jazz-rock sound – a very nice combination that makes for organic music that shows that the band was ahead of both the soft rock and acid jazz revivals in Britain. The songs all feature extended instrumental solos, and the band immeasurably improves on such studio hits as "Breakout" and "Am I the Same Girl." Vocalist Corinne Drewery is often associated with such underwhelming singers as Basia, but this set proves conclusively that even outside of a studio she has a fine set of pipes; Drewery's a much better vocalist than she's given credit for and the arrangements here spotlight her voice better than the band's albums did. Indeed, Swing out Sister was so happy with this release that they decided to combine the organic instrumentation heard here with their next couple of studio releases.

Review by Nick Dedina, Allmusic.com

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Swing Out Sister was one of New Adult Contemporary's early flagship acts, but while the duo of keyboardist Andy Connell and Basia-like singer Corinne Drewery have made their mark focusing on traditional brassy soul elements, they make a slight miscalculation on this effort by trying to be too deep, too jazzy and too emotional. A few of the later cuts (most notably the lively "That's The Way It Goes") capture the swinging, horn drenched spirit of their most engaging hits, but getting there is a slow, somewhat laborious process. The grooves on most of the tracks aim for a moody stylishness, and not even Drewery's romantically crisp phrasing can transcend the mellow often enough. Not surprisingly, their explosive cover of the old Delfonics hit "La La Means I Love You," which returns the duo to the sound they have the greatest affinity for, is also the most engaging venture here. The Living Return is not a misguided effort by any means, simply blander than the previous products of their sassified charm.

Review by Jonathan Widran, Allmusic.com

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Japanese only 8 track EP, Packaged in a gatefold paper sleeve. Features 8 mixes of 'Now You're Not Here' (Vocal Mix, Daddy Macks Back, Da-Li-Da, So Low, Water & Water, Desolate Shores, Deep Siesta & Instrumental).

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Swing Out Sister's fifth album Shapes & Patterns doesn't depart from the group's sophisticated pop-soul formula, but that isn't a bad thing, since their jazzy, danceable urban R&B remains pleasant. The group still has trouble coming up with memorable material, but the sound of the record is appealing, and Shapes & Patterns should satisfy fans, even if it doesn't win them any new ones.

Review by Leo Stanley, Allmusic.com

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In 1999, after utilizing a full band and employing a richer, more organic sound with their previous three releases, Swing Out Sister returned to the more keyboard-driven approach of their first two albums with Filth and Dreams. Despite the look back, this is an infinitely stronger album than their earlier releases, with the band more melodically creative, sonically eccentric, and confident than they were when they were earning placements on the adult contemporary charts back in the late '80s and early '90s. One of the album's strengths is that vocalist Corinne Drewery has completely abandoned her periodic tendency to pen positive affirmations instead of more personal lyrics. For these songs, probably the strongest batch the band ever penned, Drewery embraces both abstraction and British sense of melancholy more fully. Likewise, multi-instrumentalist Andy Connell and longtime producer Paul Staveley O'Duffy are able to capture the 1960s and early-'70s soft pop sounds that Swing Out Sister love so much yet make them sound natural when juxtaposed with darker modern club touches. This approach is most readily apparent on the album's highlights: First there's "Happy When You're High," which finds Drewery chanting "good things are fast becoming a thing of the past" over a downtempo drum loop and a languid, trippy, Fender Rhodes solo. Next is the dark-night-of-the-soul ballad "Invisible," which is highlighted by a surprisingly raw, emotionally naked vocal from a singer is is usually so utterly refined and elegant–and in the past compared wrongly by lazy critics to Basia. Filth and Dreams was only released in Japan, where Swing Out Sister continued to top the charts, long after their American and European streak ended. Certainly this is a shame considering how many fans the band continues to have in the 21st century on both sides of the Atlantic, but it's even a greater tragedy because it's among their most consistent albums: it's an emotionally dark and musically adventurous record that offers a drama they've never displayed before.

Review by Nick Dedina, Allmusic.com

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From their inception in 1985, Swing out Sister expressed love for the lush soft pop, soul, and soundtracks of the 1960s and early '70s. Vocalist Corinne Drewery and keyboardist Andy Connell were singing the praises of Burt Bacharach, Jimmy Webb, and John Barry back when those great artists were thought to be the definition of square and unhip. Now that those same artists are revered (and widely sampled and copied) by mainstream and alternative musicians alike, Swing out Sister may be regarded as following, rather than leading, the retro-pack of modern lounge music-makers. Somewhere Deep in the Night is a very strong album from the duo, packed full of sweeping, melancholy tunes that echo Bacharach or Webb, while the album is held together by lush instrumental themes that seem straight out of a '60s soundtrack album by Barry or Quincy Jones. (In keeping with this theme, the album art even features the comely Drewery wearing the same groovy jumpsuit that Diana Rigg made famous on The Avengers, the show that defined Britain in the swinging '60s.) That said, Swing out Sister brings plenty of their own musical ideas and long-held style to the table and continues to show that they've grown as songwriters over the years. Somewhere Deep in the Night is a rich album, but it uses its sumptuous, melodramatic arrangements to sugar rather bleak songs of confusion and lost love (the best of which are "Where the Hell Did I Go Wrong" and "Where Do I Go?"), rather than simply dazzle the listener with retro-schmaltz. Indeed, the album grows deeper with each spin instead of just making you curious about the old records that were Swing out Sister's original inspirations.

Review by Nick Dedina, Allmusic.com

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Swing Out Sister - Albums Collection 1987-2012 (18CD)

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This trend-setting act with a cult like following returns with LIVE - beautifully crafted new live arrangements of some of their biggest hits ever! Included are completely new and revamped versions of the 1980s worldwide hits 'Breakout' and 'Am I The Same Girl', each with a completely new and fresh approach and arrangement. Also included are many of their other greatest US hits like 'La La Means I Love You' and 'Stoned Soul Picnic', each classic cover executed in a refreshing new way! Recorded live in Tokyo, the 10 piece Swing Out band includes incredible vocalists,multiple keyboard players, funky rhythm and jazz guitars, tight drums and auxiliary percussion.

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Swing Out Sister's grand Beautiful Mess was issued by Avex Trax in Japan in 2008, and licensed by Shanachie for release in July of 2009. While the duo of lead vocalist Corinne Drewery and musical arranger and multi-instrumentalist Andy Connell fell off the musical radar – in a popular sense – in the United States in the '90s, the duo has consistently made fresh, sophisticated, compelling pop since their inception in the '80s when they scored big worldwide with hits such as "Breakout" and "Twilight World." The duo have utilized both keyboard-driven approaches – such as on 1999's brilliant Filth and Dreams, which was altogether darker recording that nonetheless kept their pop leanings intact – and full-band and even orchestral approaches. Beautiful Mess is one of the latter, and finds the pair engaging a fine band that includes the vocal backing group Gina Foster & the Champagnettes as well as string arrangements and excellent guitar and piano approaches. The set is also more jazz-inflected, though its pop roots are unmistakable and prevalent. Check out the gorgeous "Time Tracks You Down," with its obvious nod to Dusty Springfield, and the lithe fingerpopping, bittersweet elegance on the ballad "Butterfly." But that's not it by a long shot. The taut samba-meets-soul feel of "All I Say, All I Do," and the slippery nocturnal groove of the title track ice the cake on one of Swing Out Sister's very best efforts. This is musical sophistication presented with grace and an unpretentious accessibility that's hard to imagine anyone disliking.

Review by Thom Jurek, Allmusic.com

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Private View is an aural celebration of Swing Out Sister's 25th anniversary, and features completely rearranged versions of some of the best known tunes in its catalog. Lots of acts try this; more often than not the result is a mixed bag at best and an utter failure at worst. Not this time. Vocalist and composer Corrine Drewery and keyboardist/arranger/composer Andy Connell (the two remaining members of the original group) appear here with a backing quintet that includes Tim Cansfield on guitar, Gina Foster on backing and duet vocals, Jody Linscott on percussion, Dan Swana on upright bass, and Noel Langley on flügelhorn, to completely revision these tracks in what amounts to a brand new next step worthy of being called the band's first new studio offering since 2008's brilliant Beautiful Mess. While it's obvious that Private View will appeal largely to SOS' devoted fan base, it shouldn't be limited to it. Some of these versions, in particular "Notgonnachange," "Incomplete Without You," and "Mama Didn't Raise No Fool," are all jazz-based pop gems with elegant, breezy arrangements; Drewery's voice is so singular and original in its phrasing, and classy and soulful in its delivery, it remains undiminished by time. The gorgeous late-night club cover of Thom Bell's and Bobby Hart's soul classic "La La Means I Love You"– intro'ed and outro'ed by languid, sexy groove-based themes – is worth the album's purchase price by itself. The new version of SOS' first smash "Breakout" is subtitled "(Fabulous Party Mix)," and is a deliberate attempt at humor. Rather than the celebratory dancefloor pop of the original, this one is a midtempo ballad full of lilting strings, shimmering keyboards, and shuffling percussion that is more tempered, sure, but also more emotionally resonant. While Private View may be an atypical introduction to Swing Out Sister, it's still a fine one for beginners. For fans, it's an absolutely essential addition to the catalog.

Review by Thom Jurek, Allmusic.com