 |  | Cathy IS The Kinda Girl For Me |  |
Cathy Dennis' third---but hopefully not final---album, 1996's "Am I The Kinda Girl?", finds Cathy stepping away from drum machines & disco beats and embracing pop music with more emphasis on guitars and real drums. Fans of her first pair of albums needn't worry, 'cause the end result works magnificently. Once again, Cathy demonstrates that she is the definitive pop star who can do it all: write, sing, play, produce, AND look gorgeous. Co-producing with Mark Saunders, Cathy delivers another brilliant pop disc. No bad songs anywhere: "West End Pad" and "Fickle" are great fun, "When Dreams Turn To Dust" and "Stupid Fool" are both beautiful songs, the title song is a fun pop-rocker that Cathy co-wrote with XTC's Andy Partridge, and "Homing The Rocket" is delicious pop. But wait, there's more! "That Is Why You Love Me" and Don't Take My Heaven" are both breezy numbers, Cathy sings a marvelous cover of the Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset," and then, there's the appealing popper, "The Date," co-written with none other than Kinks leader Ray Davies himself. Finally, Cathy closes the album with the lovely light acoustic pop of "Crazy Ones." And all the while, Cathy's voice...aaaah...pure heaven (and the photos of Cathy inside the CD booklet....wow!).To date, Cathy Dennis has not recorded an album since "Am I The Kinda Girl?". That was eight years ago. These days, Cathy seems to be perfectly content writing songs for other artists. But I hope & pray that Cathy will one day return to recording herself. I hate to sound like a broken record, but as I've said in my reviews of her other records, Cathy Dennis is the Queen Of Pop. It's nice that she's writing for other artists, but she really should be writing for herself again. Cathy, I love you, and I miss you. Please come back to making albums! In the meantime, "Am I The Kinda Girl?" is a brilliant album for Cathy to close out the first chapter of her recording career with, and I eagerly await for her return. :-)
May 15, 2004 | | Very delightful but one major fault | |
Cathy Dennis left pop-disco behind her and instead opted for a more 60's sound with 90's influences and the fusion is very charming. All the songs are performed with ease and confidence. They also suit her expressive, but slight voice better than the disco-diva style. Some, like myself, might be a little disappointed at first, expecting something else, but listen through the songs twice or thrice and they really grow on you. And, please, listen to the lyrics!! They don't explore any great depths, but contain much insight in everyday matters and are constantly entertaining and sometimes hit some unexpected targets. Just listen to "The date".
If the record has one fault it's that none of the songs are instantly memorable. "When dreams turn to dust" is a favorite of mine (wonderful and sweet lyrics, nice melody), but you have to hear it several times before it sticks in your memory. Other songs are the same.
This CD turned out to be one of my most treasured ones, but not at first. Apparently it didn't sell too well and, like another reviewer wrote, maybe she was slightly ahead of her time.
November 6, 2002This is the Japanese import with three bonus tracks, I have the version without the tracks. You're destined to like this CD if you're a fan of The Corrs, Madonna or teen pop. The album is airy and extremely melodic. And Cathy's the real deal: she writes, composes, produces, performs and even mixes her songs. The best tracks are "Stupid Fool", "Waterloo Sunset" and "Don't Take My Heaven". All but two or three songs are forgettable. A sleeper pop album - you'll be happy to discover it.
September 5, 2000 | | Perhaps a little ahead of its time. | |
This is pure pop at its best. Cathy Dennis moves away from the dance beats of her previous efforts with this sublime fusion of 60's and 90's pop. It's just that it may have been released too early, 1995. It would have been more perfectly timed with the Bacharach renaissance of the late 90's and the Austin Powers era.
Dennis' voice is perfectly suited here. While it sounded rather thin against the over-the-top production of her dancier days it melds perfectly with the production here.
There are a few misses but the album is extremely catchy and is a perfect windows down/top down driving album. Enjoy! March 26, 2000
I've been a fan of Cathy for years and i must admit that this album is totally not her style(the dance).But the more you listen to it, the more you'll get hook.Give this 60's,70's ish album atry.It's gotta be a must buy. Listen to "THE DATE"(...bend me,brake me, just take care cos you might just lose me, break me,shake me, just take care cos you might break me...), "I JUST LOVE YOU", "WATERLOO SUNSET" for start, then move on to "THAT IS WHY YOU LOVE ME"(...been on TV and once, i was up for vogue....I like to ski in my underwear),"FICKLE"(..you wed me, divorce me, do nothing but frustrate me..).The lyrics are really beautiful.A NUMBER ONE ALBUM of the DECADE.
November 21, 1999More reviews at Amazon.com ...
