The second album from cult North American singer/ songwriter ANNA DOMINO, "This Time" originally appeared on the Les Disques du Crepuscule imprint during 1987 and remains arguably her best and most enduring collection of songs.
Indeed, with hindsight it seems mystifying that Virgin passed on releasing that album at the time, as "This Time" - the debut of Anna's enduring musical partnership with Michel Delory and helmed by respected U2/ Depeche Mode producer Flood - is a fine, melodic collection to this day, displaying an impressive range of moods and styles and surely harbouring enough commercial nous to have hit paydirt for major backers at the time.
Still, let's not dwell on missed marketing opportunities and instead enjoy revisiting an album that may have made its' author a star in Japan only, but is ripe for rediscovery by a new generation of fans.
Because, in both songwriting and performing terms, there isn't a weak link here. With an occasional drift towards country and folk, "Own Kind" is a great start, the epitome of well-turned, sophisto-pop with cool vocals and a bright, radio-friendly arrangement. Like many of the selections here, it's aged well for an '80s-birthed album and sets the tone to perfection.
From there on, Anna goes Midas whatever she touches. Sometimes, she can be brassy and upfront, like on "Time For Us" or "She Walked". The former is sassy, snazzy, almost Latin-American in feel, with a fanfare keyboard/ horn motif, while the club-friendly electro-blues of "She Walked" displays enough jagged edges to fall the right side of smooth.
On other occasions, Anna can slow it down and wallow in the wonderfully lush arrangements. On "Change To Come", she sounds relaxed and charismatic and enjoys Delory's Vini Reilly-style guitar embroidery and a surprise accordion solo, while on "Just Once" she convinces easily while taking on melanchollic, textured Europop and even gets away with "Rain", where - despite the scary fretless bass - the song flowers gloriously instead of descending into Mick Karn hell. Some achievement.
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By the time "This Time" has signed off with the predominantly acoustic, late-summer ballad "Lake", Anna Domino has already secured our vote, but in typically generous LTM terms we also get a slew of further excellent tracks. It's a yardstick of Domino and Delory's form at the time that the sublime "Hammer" was relegated to B-side status at the time as it's as good as anything on the album proper, while "Chaos" and "Please Don't" are hardly slackers and the airy minimalism of Alan Rankine's 1996 remake of "Tempting" makes for a notable postscript.
So, while "This Time" made no bones about its' commercial bent at the time, Anna Domino's delicious, honey-laced vocals, Michel Delory's inventive arrangements and Flood's masterful production have ensured its' longevity. Indeed, "This Time" is that ultra-rarity: the glossy, but memorable album from the mid to late '80s you will still want to own. Quite a result.
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