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Annie Lennox Has an Awesome Voice

Lonnie E. Holder | Columbus, Indiana, United States | 08/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I enjoyed Eurythmics (note that there is no "the" in front of the name of the group) from their first top 40 hit. Their music grew increasingly bizarre as the 80s progressed, and my taste did not evolve at the same pace, so I lost track of the group until recently. After purchasing this CD, I wish I had kept pace with them. This music sounds refreshing and artistic nearly 20 years after some of it was originally recorded, a sure sign that much of this music was ahead of its time.



Eurythmics is defined as the art of interpreting musical compositions by rhythmical, free-style bodily movement; essentially a kind of modern dance. Having seen many of Eurythmics' videos, the word is not to be applied to the dancing ability of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, but can be applied to the fluid, ever-changing musical style of Eurythmics the group.



While the group relied on appearances by a variety of instruments and sounds, when their music first came out I wasn't prepared for the heavy reliance on electronics, which ultimately became a signature of many 80s groups. Now that my tastes have changed with time, I see the art and sophistication that Dave Stewart brought to 80s rock music. I think that regardless of your taste, you will find at least one song on this CD to like. There is music that has a little country or perhaps 50s flavor ("Thorn in My Side") to music that is synthesizer flavored progressive ("Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and "Here Comes the Rain Again"), with stops at all destinations between. The essence of Eurythmics is that they played whatever they wanted to play because they could, and they did it well.



For those of you lucky enough to see the videos of some of these songs, one of the biggest contrasts is the nearly dead-panned appearance of Annie Lennox as she sings songs versus the heart and soul she puts into her voice. The contrast is incredible and musically ironic. Very little of that wonderful contrast comes through in the music.



This CD captures many of their best moments that found acceptance on Top 40 radio. As other reviewers have noted, some of their "greatest" songs, including many of the more experimental works, are not on this CD. For those songs you will have to start searching for their CDs. Note also that there is a difference between this CD and the U.S. released version. This CD contains four songs more than the U.S. release, and one song different. The U.S. release contains "The King & Queen of America," which is missing from this collection. This collection has "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)," "Right by Your Side," "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart," "Miracle of Love," and "Sex Crime (1984)," none of which appear in the U.S. release. If this CD is the only one you plan to purchase for this group, having the additional tracks could be worth trying to obtain this collection. Note that the order of songs on this CD is also very different from the U.S. release.



Also note that there are several versions of this CD, each having varying availability and price. You will likely want to survey the available versions to see which best meets your needs.



Sometimes you get a better perspective looking back. Such was the case for me with Eurythmics. Their music is now among my favorite. Daring at the time, and still containing an edge, this music is still not for everyone. Lots of electronics, a vibrant, hard edge, no-nonsense delivery of the lyrics with Annie Lennox's dominating, yet wonderfully artistic and beautiful voice, give Eurythmics a sound all their own. Eurythmics is one of the greatest of the 80s groups and a solid CD for a good rock collection.

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