Belinda Carlisle
Icon
(Geffen)
Belinda Carlisle has released an 11-song album in the Icon brand called, yes you guessed it, Belinda Carlisle – Icon. The when-they-care-to-still-get-together-and-tour Go-Go’s lead singer/songwriter offers up some of her best known tunes here, like the super commercial “Heaven Is a Place On Earth” and her wobbly voice on “I Get Weak.”
The very pretty “Shades Of Michelangelo” is here and I do like the danceable acoustic-driven “(We Want) The Same Thing,” a big UK hit for Carlisle in the late 80’s. But many of tunes here are laden with that big 80’s sound (not that they are all that bad of tunes really and maybe not always recorded in that decade even), but there are production limitations on stuff like “Leave A Light On” from her third studio album, Runaway Horses, and of course “Mad About You,” another solid tune just truly heavy with its time-stained production. Say what you want about 70’s music, but it is diverse enough to not always have such a distinctive vibe about.  These songs don’t stand the test of time all that well (in this humble listener’s opinion).
The opening tune here, “Sun,” is the new song recorded just for Icon, an airy dance tune about which Carlisle says, “When I first heard ‘Sun,’ I immediately knew I had to record it. It’s the best song I’ve recorded since ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth,’ and I’m really excited for everyone to hear it.”
Decide for yourself how excited it makes you by picking up a copy of Icon.
