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Spellbound

 
Album Review: Spellbound
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Spellbound

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  • Artist: Paula Abdul
  • Rating: StarStarStar
  • Release Date: 1991 05
  • Total Time: 49:03
  • Genre: Rock

Review

The reason Paula Abdul was one of the handful of pop-dance artists of her time to actually have a career is that her production is so good that 10-15 years later it stands as the embodiment of late-'80s pop without being a parody of itself. And with this, her second album, she reinforces the upbeat personality she expressed on Forever Your Girl while showing growth as well. "Promise of a New Day," "Rock House," and John Hiatt's "Alright Tonight" are bouncy and joyous, much like some of the bright hits from her debut, but she adds a funky techno edge with "Vibeology," and "Will You Marry Me?" skates that thin line between sweet and precious. Additionally, Abdul adds better and more ballads to this CD. Smartly, her production team has put together sweeping, adult love songs (the hits "Rush Rush" and "Blowing Kisses in the Wind") that help give her strong crossover appeal to adult contemporary without alienating her original fan base. Not many artists hit the mark twice in terms of commercial and critical appeal, but Abdul was savvy enough to choose strong material (much of which was co-written by Abdul herself, Peter Lord, Sandra St. Victor, and V. Jeffrey Smith) and smart producers (including Lord, Smith, and Don Was). This was a safe follow-up to a massively successful debut, and surprisingly enough for a pop star, the baby steps she took toward becoming a respected artist were sure and solidly embraced. ~ Bryan Buss, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
The Promise of a New Day Peter Lord, V. Jeffrey Smith Paula Abdul (4:32)
Rock House (Lyrics) Paula Abdul, Peter Lord, V. Jeffrey Smith, Sandra St. Victor Paula Abdul (4:11)
Rush, Rush (Lyrics) Peter Lord Paula Abdul (4:53)
Spellbound (Lyrics) Paula Abdul, Peter Lord, V. Jeffrey Smith, Sandra St. Victor Paula Abdul (4:48)
Vibeology (Lyrics) Peter Lord, V. Jeffrey Smith, Sandra St. Victor Paula Abdul (5:16)
U (Lyrics) Paisley Park Paula Abdul (4:05)
My Foolish Heart (Lyrics) Peter Lord, V. Jeffrey Smith Paula Abdul (4:11)
Blowing Kisses in the Wind (Lyrics) Peter Lord Paula Abdul (4:42)
To You (Lyrics) Colin England, Jorge Corante Paula Abdul (3:31)
Alright Tonight (Lyrics) John Hiatt Paula Abdul (4:29)
Will You Marry Me? (Lyrics) Paula Abdul, Peter Lord, V. Jeffrey Smith, Sandra St. Victor Paula Abdul (4:25)

Credits

Paula Abdul (Vocals), Paula Abdul (Vocals (Background)), Paula Abdul (Main Performer), Ivan Neville (Keyboards), Colin England (Vocals (Background)), The Family Stand (Vocals (Background)), Mike Campbell (Guitar), Sweet Pea Atkinson (Vocals (Background)), Wolfgang Aichholz (Engineer), Curt Bisquera (Drums), Sir Harry Bowens (Vocals (Background)), Rocky Bryant (Drums), Stuart Canin (Violin), Ed Cherney (Engineer), Paulinho Da Costa (Percussion), Tim Drummond (Bass), Sally Dworsky (Vocals (Background)), Don Feinberg (Engineer), Arne Frager (Engineer), Mark Goldenberg (Guitar), Steve Grove (Sax (Tenor)), Michael Koppelman (Engineer), Greg Laney (Engineer), Peter Lord (Keyboards), Peter Lord (Programming), Peter Lord (Vocals (Background)), Peter Lord (Producer), Jamie Muhoberac (Organ), Paisley Park (Producer), Dave Pensado (Engineer), Clifford Moonie Pusey (Guitar), V. Jeffrey Smith (Guitar), V. Jeffrey Smith (Keyboards), V. Jeffrey Smith (Programming), V. Jeffrey Smith (Saxophone), V. Jeffrey Smith (Producer), Sandra St. Victor (Vocals (Background)), Don Was (Producer), Stevie Wonder (Harmonica), Arnold McCuller (Vocals (Background)), Jorge Corante (Producer), Randy Jacobs (Guitar), Stephen Kupka (Sax (Baritone)), Tom Hammer (Keyboards), Greg Adams (Trumpet), Melanie Nissen (Art Direction), Rod Hul (Engineer)
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Wikipedia: Spellbound (Paula Abdul album)
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Spellbound
Studio album by Paula Abdul
Released May 14, 1991
Recorded September 1990-March 1991
Genre Pop
Length 49:03
Label Virgin
Producer Peter Lord, Paisley Park, V. Jeffrey Smith, Don Was, Jorge Corante
Professional reviews
Paula Abdul chronology
Shut Up and Dance
(1990)		 Spellbound
(1991)		 Head Over Heels
(1995)
Singles from Spellbound
  1. "Rush Rush"
    Released: May 2, 1991
  2. "The Promise of a New Day"
    Released: 1991
  3. "Blowing Kisses in the Wind"
    Released: October 17, 1991
  4. "Vibeology"
    Released: January 30, 1992
  5. "Will You Marry Me?"
    Released: 1992

Spellbound is the second studio album released by Paula Abdul in May 1991. The album was an international success and spawned major radio hits with the singles "Rush Rush", "The Promise of a New Day", "Blowing Kisses in the Wind", "Vibeology" and "Will You Marry Me?". Though it was not as successful as Abdul's previous studio album, Forever Your Girl, the album was very successful in the United States, achieving Triple Platinum sales there (and 8.5 million worldwide) and peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200. It became Abdul's second and last album to hit #1 on the chart.

Music videos were produced for each of the singles, and all received heavy airplay on MTV. "Rush, Rush", featuring Keanu Reeves — at that time a superstar — paid homage to the classic film Rebel Without A Cause. Choreography for the ballad "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" included mid-air ballet. "Will You Marry Me?" featured a digital composite of various versions of Abdul dancing in different styles - jazz, ballet, ballroom - with different outfits on.

A special limited edition version of the album was released in the USA. It came in an outer cardboard box and inside was a giant oversized gold colored plastic compact, emulative of the one Abdul is seen looking into in the album's artwork. Inside is a giant powder puff and an alternate version of the CD booklet shaped in a circle.

Some tracks are mixed using Q-Sound.

Contents

Track listing

  1. "The Promise Of A New Day" (#1 U.S.) (Peter Lord; V. Jeffrey Smith) - 4:32
  2. "Rock House" (Paula Abdul; Peter Lord; Sandra St. Victor; V. Jeffrey Smith) - 4:11
  3. "Rush Rush" (#1 U.S.) (Peter Lord) - 4:52
  4. "Spellbound" (Paula Abdul; Peter Lord; Sandra St. Victor; V. Jeffrey Smith) - 4:48
  5. "Vibeology" (#16 U.S.) (Peter Lord; Sandra St. Victor; V. Jeffrey Smith) - 5:16
  6. "U" (Prince) - 4:05
  7. "My Foolish Heart" (Peter Lord; V. Jeffrey Smith) - 4:10
  8. "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" (#6 U.S.) (Peter Lord) - 4:41
  9. "To You" (Colin England; Jorge Corante) - 3:31
  10. "Alright Tonight" (John Hiatt) - 4:28
  11. "Will You Marry Me?" (#19 U.S.) (Paula Abdul; Peter Lord; Sandra St. Victor; V. Jeffrey Smith) - 4:24

Japanese Edition Track listing

  1. "The Promise Of A New Day" (#1 U.S.) (Peter Lord; V. Jeffrey Smith) - 4:32
  2. "Rock House" (Paula Abdul; Peter Lord; Sandra St. Victor; V. Jeffrey Smith) - 4:11
  3. "Rush Rush" (#1 U.S.) (Peter Lord) - 4:52
  4. "Spellbound" (Paula Abdul; Peter Lord; Sandra St. Victor; V. Jeffrey Smith) - 4:48
  5. "Vibeology" (#16 U.S.) (Peter Lord; Sandra St. Victor; V. Jeffrey Smith) - 5:16
  6. "Will You Marry Me?" (#19 U.S.) (Paula Abdul; Peter Lord; Sandra St. Victor; V. Jeffrey Smith) - 4:24
  7. "U" (Prince) - 4:05
  8. "My Foolish Heart" (Peter Lord; V. Jeffrey Smith) - 4:10
  9. "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" (#6 U.S.) (Peter Lord) - 4:41
  10. "To You" (Colin England; Jorge Corante) - 3:31
  11. "Alright Tonight" (John Hiatt) - 4:28
  12. "Good Night, My Love (Pleasant Dreams)" (George Motora; John Marascalco) - 3:14

Chart positions

Year Chart Position
1991 The Billboard 200 1


Production

  • Produced By Peter Lord, Paisley Park, V. Jeffrey Smith, Jorge Corante & Don Was
  • Engineers: Wolfgang Aichholz, Ed Cherney, Don Feinerg, Arne Frager, Rod Hull, Michael Koppelman, Greg Laney, Dave Pensado


Personnel

  • Lead Vocals: Paula Abdul
  • Backing Vocals: Sweet Pea Atkinson, Sir Harry Bowens, Sally Dworsky, Colin England, The Family Stand, Peter Lord, Arnold McCuller, Sandra St. Victor
  • Guitars: Mike Campbell, Mark Goldenberg, Randy Jacobs, Clifford Moonie Pusey, V. Jeffrey Smith
  • Keyboards: Jorge Corante, Tom Hammer, Peter Lord, Ivan Neville, V. Jeffrey Smith
  • Organ: Jamie Muhoberac
  • Bass: Tim Drummond
  • Drums: Curt Bisquera, Rocky Bryant
  • Percussion: Paulinho Da Costa
  • Trumpet: Greg Adams
  • Tenor Sax: Steve Grove
  • Baritone Sax: Stephen Kupka
  • Harmonica: Stevie Wonder
  • Violin: Stuart Canin


Preceded by
Out of Time by R.E.M.		 Billboard 200 number-one album
June 8 - June 21, 1991		 Succeeded by
Niggaz4Life by N.W.A.
v • d • e
Paula Abdul
Studio albums
Forever Your Girl (1988) · Spellbound (1991) · Head Over Heels (1995) · TBA (2009)
Other albums
Singles
Tours
Related topics

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

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