JULIA FORDHAM : PORCELAIN

  1. Lock And Key
  2. Porcelain
  3. Girlfriend
  4. For You Only For You
  5. Genius
  6. Did I Happen To Mention?
  7. Towerblock
  8. Island
  9. Your Lovely Face
  10. Prince Of Peace

Label : Circa

Release Date : 1989

Length : 46:17

Review (Wikipedia) : Porcelain is the second album by English singer-songwriter Julia Fordham, released in 1989. It became Fordham's highest-charting album in both the UK Albums Chart and US Billboard 200, peaking at numbers 13 and 74 respectively. The track "Lock and Key" was released as lead single and reached number 80 in the UK Singles Chart. Follow up UK singles released were "Genius" (which was also released as an extended 12" single) and the double A-side "Girlfriend" / "Manhattan Skyline". "Manhattan Skyline" was released as a US single and reached #40 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Review (Amazon) : Porcelain has to be her best album ever. I've owned it since it's release and have never grown tired of it. The layering of instruments with her voice is so very dimensional it has kept my interest and commanded my respect the more I listen. The lyrics are personal, and they delve into the more mature, somwhat jaded aspects of love and life that are not often explored in pop lyrics. The phrasing is poetic and set to the music in ways that truly get to the heart of the lyric. Genius is a full-out Brazilian Samba with a playful, easy, tropical feel and a second verse delivered in impeccable Portuguese. I think the authenticity of it's Brazilian flavor keep it from ever getting campy or cartoonish. Lock and Key is a rumba with an outstanding percussion and flamenco guitar accompaniment. Your Lovely Face becomes a complex interweaving of haunting phrases that reach a crescendo and leave you breathless. For You Only For You is just Julia and a piano with an intimate feel as she confesses to having cried every river of the world by name. Each selection on this album is distinctive, fully developed, and strong. This is an album to fall in love with. To take on road trips and disappear into. It is pure elegance and sophistication with an edge of fun. Owning this album has enriched my life. Oh, and did I happen to mention Julia's beautiful voice is so flexible, so expressive, with its awesome range and subtle power that it can become an addiction.