Man, I can't believe that it was all the way back in 2019 that I first, and last, talked about T'Pau. Granted, they only had two albums in the 80's, but seven years ago feels like a lifetime ago at this point.
After releasing their unique hit, Heart And Soul, T'Pau was a band that you would have thought the world would keep their eyes on. Sadly, this wasn't the case.
The group was formed in 1986 as Talking America before taking their name, T'Pau. It would come from a Vulcan leader of the same name who appeared in the season two opener episode, Amok Time from Star Trek's original series.
Heart And Soul would initially only chart in the USA. It had previously been a flop in the UK, but success would follow after the tune was featured in a Pepe Jeans commercial. The end result was a massively successful debut, Bridge Of Spies (1987), which peaked at number one in multiple countries, and in the top twenty in several others. The album would also go 4X platinum in the UK, and gold in both Canada and Germany.
Poised for greatness, they released their follow-up, Rage in 1988, and that's where it all ended. The record would fare best in the UK, landing at number four, and charting between fourteen and forty-four in four other countries. It would not chart at all in the USA and further produced no Billboard Hot 100 Hits. T'Pau had come and gone overnight.
Carol Decker's strong vocals kick things off a cappella followed by drums slapping, and the rest of the band coming in. Arms Of Love is a solid opener and sets a solid tone for what's to be expected.
Unfortunately, that's where things kind of end. While her voice stays formidable, the songwriting itself is lacking. It all feels like generic throw away material. Filler, at best. There are definitely no hits worth raving about. Though I will give a subtle nod to Between The Lines, and Road To Our Dreams.
Island feels like a lackluster attempt at recapturing what Heart And Soul delivered. It's a decent attempt, but simply can't hold a candle to its predacessor.
The CD version also contains an additional track, This Girl, but it's by no means anything that needed to be included. Rather, it feels like it's just there to extend the runtime and take advantage of the CD era. More is not necessarily better.
Side note: the above makes me laugh because it reminds me of the food reviews you'll see sometimes. "Food was terrible, and portions small." Why would you want more if it's terrible? Anyway...
As a whole, the album isn't terrible. It's just not as good as it could be, and the sad part is that Decker really does have a powerful and unique voice. With the right material, she could have become a powerhouse of the late 80's. I dare say that if they embraced it, T'Pau could have also transitioned formidably into the grunge scene, standing right next to the likes of Hole and Garbage.
The band kept things going through 1991, releasing their third album, The Promise. However, a continued lack of commercial success, and the relationship between Decker and guitarist Ronnie Rogers led to them disbanding.
Carol would reform the band in 1998, and release Red. However, she'd be the only original member from the band until Rogers returned. They'd release two more albums, 2015's Pleasure And Pain, and 2026's Be Wonderful. However, no albums since 1991 have charted, and the years of success appear to have been long left in the past.
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