ELLEN FOLEY : ANOTHER BREATH

1. Boys In The Attic
2. Johnny And Mary
3. Another Breath
4. Let Me Be The One You Love
5. Read My Lips
6. Nightline
7. Come To Me
8. Run For My Life
9. Come And Get These Memories
10. Spy In The House Of Love

Label : Epic

Release Date : 1983

Length : 40:39

Review (Amazon) : An Ellen Foley album takes a little getting used to, but once it's grown on you you're hooked! Now I don't say this to reflect on Ellen's abilities in any way. With only three discs to choose from, one has to consider the times and their production. Her first release, "Night Out," is probably the most infectious since "Spirit of St. Louis" and "Another Breath" both breeze through British-tinged punk and eighties-style production respectively, and I prefer the seventies sound of "Night Out" over either of those two genres. This isn't to discredit her other works however! Having almost as readily dimissed "Night Out" as "Another Breath" upon my first initial listen, the second time around for each proved Foley had not only put out a product worth hearing but poured her heart and soul into every recording. Stylistically, Ellen appears as a hybrid of producer Phil Spector's two leading ladies: Veronica "Ronnie" Bennett (later Spector) and Darlene Love. Ronnie had that teenage angst sound down to a tee with her prepubescent timbre, while Darlene delivered the goods on hit after hit no matter what monicker she appeared under. Foley has something of that Ronnie sound when she hits the high notes or tries to sing overly high, but comes across as much more smoothe and soulful like Love when in a more natural range. Of course, she's got power regardless, never tinny, and is capable of impressing any listener willing to overlook whether or not they particularly care for the lyrics or actual songs, which brings us to the actual songs. Despite possessing something of a Blondie sound coupled with mid-eighties Heart in the mix, the compositions "Boys in the Attic," "Let Me Be the One You Love" and "Read My Lips" still shine, while "Another Breath" and "Come to Me" literally leave their listener, shall we say, breathless? "Run for My Life" and bonus track "Beat of a Broken Heart" suffer from being a bit too eighties-ish, with the first sounding like a contender for the film "Flashdance," but the additional bonus track "Ghost of a Chance" is actually quite haunting. I fear Ellen Foley was more a product of her times than she should have been, forced into a company category and promoted incorrectly since "Nightline" has to be the worst track on this disc, even taking the previously accounted for bonus cuts into consideration, yet was apparently pushed the hardest since the extended release of "Another Breath" features three alternate mixes of this song? Should the company choose to put out a similar package for "Night Out," a true Ellen Foley revival might well come about but, alas three releases are all we're treated to of an artist who possibly didn't reach her full potential, and certainly didn't reach as many fans as someone with so much talent was so capable of doing.