Retro Spins: Belinda Carlisle - Belinda

After the breakup of the new wave band, Go-Go's (not THE Go-Go's as it is often mistakenly called), singer Belinda Carlisle turned her sites towards a solo career. Her first venture, the 1986 album, Belinda.

While the album did well, it was often compared to Carlisle's prior work with her now defunct band, and because of that, it may not have received the recognition it should have as a stand alone album. This, however, didn't impede it's overall success. The album would go on to rank number 13 in America.

Personally, I'm not too versed in the singer. I know Mad About You, Heaven Is A Place On Earth and Circles In The Sand. Of these, only one track is actually on this record, respectfully, Mad About You. As I listened to the album for the first time, I find myself continuously chuckling. Not because the lyrics were necessarily cheesy, which they are, but rather because I kept comparing Belinda Carlisle's voice to that of a bleating goat. Seriously, you think Stevie Nicks is bad? Listen to Carlisle.

Though there wasn't much to this album which hit the right notes for me, I admittedly was strangely drawn into the ballad, Since You've Gone. Something about the instrumentation, combined with her singing, really sucked me in.

I Need A Disguise also stuck out, but not in a, "Hey, I like that song," kind of way. Instead something about it sounded familiar to me. It was when I looked it up that I pinpointed why. It was the voice of Bangles singer, Susanna Hoffs in the background. It was also at that time I felt the song felt very much so in the manner of a Bangles song. This would be because not only was Hoffs a co-writer of the track, but it was also intended to be used on one of that group's albums.

Overall, I'm definitely not going to be a fan of Belinda Carlisle. Then again, I'm not a fan of her band Go-Go's either, so I'm not sure why I would have though I would be.

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