Search - Cliff Richard :: Always Guaranteed

Always Guaranteed - Cliff Richard

Wizard Prang | Louisville, KY USA | 08/26/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Always Guaranteed" originally hit the streets in 1987, when the CD format was fairly new. A remastered version came out in 1992 with eight additional tracks. My review is of the original.



The album opens with "One Night", a hard-driving number (for Cliff) that makes it clear that this is not going to be an album full of ballads. Not bad, but by no means the best track, and Cliff's falsetto sounds weak in places (7/10).



Next up is "Once Upon a Time"; not unpleasant, but it sounds like a piece of very well-produced filler. I have always questioned the wisdom behind soppy ballads sung by a guy who has remained celibate for decades (3/10).



On to "Some People", my favorite cut from the album, and one of four"five-star" tracks on the album. The heavy synth backing gives this song an ethereal, otherworldly feel (10/10)



The next track, "Forever", reminds me of the saying "Given enough power, even a brick can fly". It is dull and repetitive, but like a pig with lipstick it is immaculately dressed with lavish production values which make it barely pleasant enough not to press the fast-forward button,. The best thing about this song is the fade-out at the end (3/10)



"Two Hearts" is one of those songs that has Cliff written all over it. Driving without being an out-and-out rocker, not slow enough to be considered soppy, with two predictable-yet-nonetheless-interesting electric guitar solos in the middle and at the end (8/10).



"Under your spell" is a workable enough number; good enough to make it as an album track but not quite good enough to make it as a single (7/10).



"This Time Now" is the second of the choice cuts. The 6/8 rhythm drives it relentlessly onwards, and the melody is pitched at a level that can be sung by ordinary men without the need for nutcrackers or pliers (10/10).



The good-bad see-saw nature of the album ends with "My Pretty One", the third of four top-notchers, this one was released as a single and received quite a lot of airplay. It has an absolutely killer bridge (9/10).



The winning streak continues with "Remember Me", which drives along nicely and has some interesting synth/guitar work (9/10).



The album is rounded out by the title track, which has the dubious distinction of being neither particularly good nor particularly bad, in which Cliff tried to be an old-school rocker... and fails. The lyrics are pretty ropey, too (5/10).



Bottom line: 40% brilliant, 40% ok, 20% dire. Not a bad score for a non-greatest-hits package. Worth the shekels if you are a Cliff Richard fan."