CD Review: Alison Moyet - Alf, Raindancing

So what have I been listening to recently? Let me introduce you to the voice of Alison Moyet. I first heard her voice in a great song/video named "Nobody's Diary" back in 1983.  It was by a band named Yazoo, and while I had no idea who these people were...that song and that voice got my attention. Now, here in the US they were known as Yaz but I grew up in Japan so Yazoo was and always will be their name to me. Later I found out that the odd man playing was Vince Clarke who was in the original line-up for Depeche Mode, and later joined with Andy Bell to become Erasure. The two albums they put out as Yazoo were fantastic. Upstairs at Eric's and You and Me ended up being played quite a bit by a young version of myself.

For a while I didn't hear anything new coming from them and so I assumed they broke up. Then came this song "It Won't Be Long" in 1991. I recognized the voice and bought the album Hoodoo. Then I found out that Moyet had put out two previous albums that somehow I missed. I went and found those two and here are my thoughts on them both.

Her first solo album was "Alf" and it is a solid album for 1984. When I came to it later, I thought some of the songs were alright, some were ones that I forgot almost as soon as they were over, but at least one stuck in my head. "All Cried Out" is one of those songs. Gorgeous singing, wonderful lyrics, and a fantastic melody. The other song I really liked was "Love Resurrection." It has a classic '80's sound to it with her amazing voice.

Her second album was "Raindancing" and was released in 1987. Some of the songs were co-written with Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics and beyond the lead single "Weak In The Presence of Beauty", it didn't really stick with me. In fact the only part of the single that got my attention was the name and chorus.

So why am I bringing these up now? And why will I write about the next two albums in her discography at a later date? Because there is this fantastic site named PledgeMusic. On this site you can pledge funds directly to artists for them to create new music, new projects, or re-release classic albums in new formats. It is similar to Kickstarter but focused strictly on audio projects. Moyet decided to re-release her first four albums with a full disc of bonus tracks, photos, new liner notes, etc. I received them recently and am working my way through them. Her voice is as amazing as ever (even if the songs may not be the strongest). The second disc features remixes, new versions of older songs, live versions, and in the case of "Raindancing" - a song by James Brown where she is featured. Who knew??? Each release comes in a hard cover fold-out style CD case. They have stunning photos inside, each album has been remastered, and new liner notes from Moyet herself. Also, full lyrics (which are always a bonus for me). Check out the links above and introduce yourself to the incredible bluesy voice of Alison Moyet.