Kim Wilde -《Now & Forever》[WV]

专辑介绍：

Kim Wilde金怀德英国史上拥有最多首进榜单曲的英国女歌手，在美英两地写下冠亚军的佳绩单曲。

Kim Wilde有一副跟Blondie乐团女主唱Deborah Harry一样充满著奔放、性感、活力的沙哑歌声，法国传媒形容她是「摇滚版的性感小野猫碧姬芭杜」，德国乐迷尊称她是1980年代最具性感魅力的女歌手，她的歌声主宰了1980年代的流行乐坛，她至今依然是「英国金榜史上拥有最多首进榜单曲的英国女歌手」以及「英国唱片史上最畅销的英国女歌手」这两项纪录的保持者，Kim Wilde在全球拥有14首排行冠军单曲，以及50首TOP5单曲，写下1000万张专辑与2000万张单曲的销售。在主宰流行音乐市场长达15年的岁月之后，90年代后期的Kim沉醉於家庭生活，把生活重心从娱乐事业变到园艺领域，在电视上主持园艺节目，还发行了跟园艺有关的书作。而Kim Wilde的“You Keep Me Hangin’ On”，1985年来首位问鼎全美流行单曲榜冠军后座的英国女歌手的荣耀。

A lot of longtime Kim Wilde fans don't like this album as it's such a far cry from her power pop/new wave roots and it's also more mellow than her pop/dance fare. As a US fan who never got the chance to collect all her albums after 1988 until 2 years ago, I can tell you that anyone who is surprised by this album only have themselves to blame. Why? Because the signs were there of her reaching this point from Teases and Dares on up to this project. If "Thought it Was Goodbye" didn't tell you Kim was going in a different direction on that album (particularly since it was the final cut), you weren't paying very apt attention. Every successor to that album became more poppy and soulful, until we got this very slick project that sounds like a Swing Out Sister album more than a few times.

The production is very glossy, the numbers mostly smooth jazz ala SOS and Sade than soul, and Kim sings like an angel on each and every track. There are only three upkey dance numbers, the best of them being the opener "Breaking Away," complete with its gospel rooted vocals. Most of the album is very easy on the ears, and her voice is at its pinnacle in the studio this time. Best songs are definitely "Come On and Love Me" which give Swing Out Sister's "Making the Right Move" an equally sensual but shorter run for the money, "Life and Soul," the hearachingly beautiful title track, and my personal favorite, "You're All I Wanna Do," which should be somebody's wedding song. It's so beautiful that if I get married one day, I think I may consider it!

I've been listening to Kim Wilde since I was 18, and that was in 1982, so I love her in all her phases. You can listen to a lot of the fans who won't let go of the past, or you can let me tell you right now that this is her best album before she gave it all up and became the happy housewife, mother, and gardener. This is a great, romantic soulful album by somebody who has gone on to do better things with her life personally. Close was voted as her best album of all time on a website I frequent, including by myself. While that's true, this is my personal favorite. Kim was never happy as a sex symbol, and if this proves to have been her final studio album despite the rumors of a new album after all, I say it's a gorgeous swan song.

01. Breakin' Away 3:37
02. High On You 4:32
03. This I Swear 4:24
04. C'mon Love Me 5:32
05. True To You 4:56
06. Hypnotise 4:49
07. Heaven 3:50
08. Sweet Inspiration 3:51
09. Where Do You Go From Here 4:33
10. Hold On 4:35
11. You're All I Wanna Do 4:03
12. Life & Soul 4:33
13. Now & Forever 5:09
14. Back To Heaven 1:42