All Through the Night

• Artist: Secret Ties
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1988
• Genre: Rock

Review

Although Secret Ties specialized in Latin-flavored dance-pop, the San Diego group shouldn't be lumped in with the Latin freestyle artists of the East Coast. Recorded in 1986 and 1987, Secret Ties' debut album, All Through the Night, wouldn't be mistaken for an album by Miami's Expose -- nor does it sound like the Cover Girls, TKA, or others who defined freestyle in New York. So what sets Secret Ties apart from those East Coast artists? The main thing is an interest in Brazilian music. Most freestylers were Puerto Ricans, Cubans, or Dominicans who grew up hearing salsa and/or merengue -- the influence of salsa didn't escape Secret Ties either, but the group's leader/producer/songwriter Brian Soares brings a Brazilian element to All Through the Night that you seldom hear in freestyle. The Brazilian influence comes through on a cover of Peter Allen's "I Go to Rio," as well as Soares originals like "One Night," "Fire With Fire," and the hit "Dancin' in My Sleep." The various female singers that Soares employs (who include Linda Harmon and Cheryl Ford) have thin voices, and the album is a bit uneven. Nonetheless, All Through the Night is generally enjoyable and deserves credit for being different from other Latin-minded dance-pop of the 1980s. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi

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