* Fine Young Cannibals, “The Finest,†MCA.
From the falsetto edge of Roland Gift’s vocals to the rhythmic tension in the group’s arrangements, you can hear the Bee Gees’ stamp all over “She Drives Me Crazy,†a No. 1 single in 1989 for this promising but short-lived British trio.
At the time, the Cannibals seemed on the road to a major career, bringing together elements of rock and soul in ways that sounded agreeable and smart. There are some lingering highlights in this package. On the whole, however, the Cannibals’ music sounds severely dated--both narrow in design and mechanical in execution.
As such, it serves as a reminder of how much of pop music’s impact is tied to a place and time. The best artists give us sounds and ideas that stick. The others simply entertain us for the moment. The Cannibals fell into the latter category.
Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
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