Search - Lisa Hartman :: Til My Heart Stops

My Hearts Still Beating

Bradley Jacobson | 04/10/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The only Lisa Hartman album to have an official release on CD, this 1987 freestylin' synth drum popping album is long out of print and another that fans search and search for.



Til My Heart Stops seems to be an album that Lisa really wanted to make. Her voice is strong, the songs are well chosen rock/pop songs of the era and she even co-wrote a little. Also a thing to think of is when she recorded the album she had made a name for herself as an actress, having chosen to leave her 4 year stint on Knots Landing and concentrate on TV films, which included the starring role in a huge mini series Roses Are For The Rich, so she more than likely could've given up the singing all together but not our girl for even in a 1985 TV Guide article about her role on Knots Landing, she declared she really wanted to be a singer, "I came out here with a dream and plan to fulfill it," she said.



So she took off Knots Landing and headed to the studio to begin recording a new album of fresh material. I remember when Til My Heart Stops came out, I was so frickin' excited and I couldn't wait to get it.



Opening with the rocking "Tempt Me (If You Want To)", the album found Lisa in full on rock mode, a Benatar-ish attitude set to the synth pop of 1987. In fact that's perhaps what made the album fail, (chart wise) is that it wasn't anything particularly fresh or unheard of. But that shouldn't be held against her then or now as she took the style that worked for her and I can tell you this album was on contant and I do mean constant replay that summer in 1987 and beyond.



The first single was the slight ballady "I Don't Need Love" complete with guitar solos and a growling Lisa bridge, there is even an awesome video featuring her 1987 hot hair. 'Til My Heart Stops goes through all the motions of the synth pop/rock including more of the ballad styled songs like the awesome "How Many Rivers" and a single "The Dress" in which she tries to get her man back by declaring she could wear the dress he used to love. "Til My Heart Stops Beating" is an epic ballad with drums and guitars and a heart felt gut wrenching performance by Lisa and is probably one of her best sung songs.



The rockier side of Lisa shows through on the rest of these 9 tracks including hte bouncy "Ooh I'm Satisfied" and the bitter-ish "Tender Kiss" but it's really "Imagination" and "I Can't Get You Out Of My System" that stand out for me. In the former, Lisa is at the club when a guy eyes her up and down and up again as she wonders if it's all in her mind, the song leads to a fairly predictable solution but the grittiness and sexiness of the song takes you to that conclusion with great results. In "I Can't Get You Out Of My System", the cliches may fly fast and furious in the lyrics but what was 80's rock about if not cliches? It's a perfect product of its time and if I were in charge that is the song I would've released as a single and I think Lisa may have a had a good shot at the charts.



As it stands I really love 'Til My Heart Stops but for some reason I don't love it as much as I did in 1987, for some reason the whole style of the sound that was so prominent then sounds more dated than her earlier 80's album Letterock. I'm sure it's the syths and the drum machines that do it, but if you get past that or if that's what you like about that era's ear than Til My Heart Stops is a great listen. In any case, it's great to hear Lisa stir up a rock album with such gusto.

"

Great Lisa HArtman album

R. Veentjer | Netherlands | 02/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am glad that this album is re-released on CD, I searched a long time for this album. This album sounds very good with a mature sound. Too bad Lisa Hartman is not making albums anymore, she has a really great singing voice, maybe "Letterock" the next album on CD?."