Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D’Arby

Really solid 80's album, while still being very 80's. In one of the worst era's of Pop music, this was a really welcome change of pace. World Music, Pop, Funk and lots of other stuff can be found here. I really like the hits on here most of all, but after a few listens the deep cuts start growing on me as well. It somehow manages to pick out the good parts of 80's kitsch and blend them together with a nice flavor of other genres in order to create something novel and familiar.

I’m right at a 5. Perhaps even just a touch higher.

The only track I knew going into this was “Wishing Well”, & that’s just because I’d heard it a number of times. It’s the type of track that’s a bit plain in execution, but the fun bouncy vibe of it just kinda grows on you the more you hear it. Either that, or the chorus is simple enough that you can’t help but learn it & Stockholm Syndrome your way into enjoying it. Either way, it’s an inoffensively fun song, and I went into this expecting 11 tracks of a similar caliber. Thankfully, I was wrong; yes, some of these are still inoffensively fun, but I found myself rather impressed with some of the additional depth on a lot of these tracks. Sananda Maitreya obviously wears all of his inspirations on his sleeve; this is practically a Prince / MJ / James Brown hybrid album, and his vocals occasionally channel all 3 in a way that’s more reminiscent to my brain of Bruno Mars. A lot of this album feels like a Bruno Mars album if it were actually produced in the 1980s. Bruno’s slick as hell, sure, but he’s not using synths & gated reverb drums like that. One thing this album does that Bruno hasn’t done, at least in a bit, is explore some topics past just making love.

Since the first track is about searching for religion & what that journey will entail in a way that he doubts he’ll even make it to heaven, I’d say he sets a bit of a ‘tortured artist’ tone early. That tone does give this album a bit of self-importance that it sort of sheds by “If You Let Me Stay” and the bouncy doo-wop feel behind it, but it’s still about pleading to a lady to keep him around. I still can’t really tell you what the fuck “Wishing Well” is about other than being a loose love track. “I’ll Never Turn My Back On You” thankfully brings the depth back into play, and I think it’s a pretty good reggae-tinged tribute to his father & his devotion. “Dance Little Sister” is by far the grooviest track here with a James Brown lean, “Seven More Days” is a great ballad about enduring the work week for some family time & “Let’s Go Forward” is a masterclass in how to keep a track vocally stimulating in a way that lets the repetition within go by without a complaint (though mileage will HIGHLY vary here). “Rain” is obviously silly, & the weakest track here, but it’s just kinda fun. I’m more disappointed he didn’t commit to all 23 verses. Cowardice, perhaps.

This album really sends it home for its final 3 tracks, all of which really worked for me. “Sign Your Name” is love-making music with an intimacy to it that REALLY sells the track; it’s a bit long on the outro & a little stagnant instrumentally, but given what might be happening as a result of listening, I don’t think it matters too much. “As Yet Untitled” is a fully acapella track, reminiscent of Tracy Chapman’s acapella track on her self-titled debut; Sananda’s voice shines here, and the storytelling about wanting to reclaim his homeland in a way that washes away the sins of his previous generations is wonderfully written. The cover of “Who’s Loving You” that ends the album will no doubt invite MJ comparisons that I’m sure he was expecting, but it’s probably the most potent cover of the track I’ve heard aside from the Jackson 5’s own cover (it’s a Smokey Robinson original). I already love that track to begin with, so hearing someone tackle it with passion that feels close to Michael’s vocals really did it for me, and it’s tastefully updated to ‘80s instrumentation without overdoing it like Tina Turner did on “Private Dancer”.

Given that Sananda was hyping this album in the press by saying he made “the most brilliant debut album from any artist this decade” & something better than Sgt. Pepper’s, it would be very easy for this album to crumble under its own expectations. Perhaps miraculously, it does not. It’s not the best debut album of the decade (that’s probably “Appetite for Destruction”, at least for my tastes), and it’s not better than Sgt. Pepper’s, but he was right in hyping himself up. This is a surprisingly strong 47 minutes that only really falters on some slightly longer outros, but those barely matter, since the core of each track preceding those outros is usually engaging as hell. I think it’s an easy 5 for me, and perhaps even just a touch higher. I really liked it, I’m glad it’s on the list, and I may need to check out a bit more of this dude’s albums.

When a bloke changes his name and then goes back and renames a 40 year old album 'Introducing the Hardline According to Sananda Maitreya' - I just think what an absolute tool. I recall at the time he was rather up himself declaring this album to be the best thing since Sgt. Pepper. So he's still not short of ego is he - even if he seemed to disappear without trace after this album.

Granted he does have a very good voice and some of the songs have stood the test.
But he didn't.
Nobody likes a bighead.

Production stinks of the 80s. Never heard this before. It was fine. Production sounds very similar to many other records of this time. Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins records with that 80s sound come to mind. Just nowhere near as good. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.

"Wishing Well" is a neat late 80s pop track. Always thought Seal really had the edge over this guy in terms of making this funk/rock/r&b sound work. Production is very dated.

The 80s get such a bad rap on here. Plenty of it was rubbish but this one isn't guilty. Weird how a few of the reviews fixate on Rain when Sign Your Name is right there coming up next. Also a bit of history rewriting going on in one review being described as an artist "with a couple of minor hits". Number 1 and top 5 both sides of the Atlantic isn't minor. The record does sound a bit more clinical than I remember because he had such a great live band at the time that did some TV shows with him.

A mixed album for me. Was a bit dull in places. Smokey Robinson knows how to write a song. I've never heard a bad cover of 'Who's Loving You'. 3.5

Sounds like it was made in a funko pop plant. Just so plastic!

I wanted to love this so much more. But its a little messy, and just not really hitting that hard. Funky groovy, but only a solid 3

I can't believe I've never heard this before! It's an incredible pop album, very of its time but also sounding unique. Some of the songs were not up to that level but overall I really enjoyed this album.

Enjoyable, but wish it was a little funnier. Man can he sing though

So boring. So many of these songs are just the same line repeated over and over in a way that doesn’t work.

About as good as Coldplay

I’m all about respecting artists creative choices and their freedom of expression. Doesn’t mean I can’t think that changing to using his real name as his stage name isn’t a major aura loss. This album is super 80’s (complimentary). His vocal performances are consistently great and these songs are solid. Favorites were If You Let Me Stay, Dance Little Sister, Seven More Days, and Rain.

Better than I expected, but still not something I would seek out.

This album is like pure 80s nostalgia. The monster hits I remembered ("Wishing Well", "Sign Your Name", "If You Let Me Stay") are still amazing pop/soul jams. The rest of the record settles into a soulful, smooth groove that really showcases his incredible vocal range, which often feels like a fusion of Michael Jackson's energy and Prince's funkier edges.

The production is a bit of a mixed bag though. It's got that classic 80s sound that can sound a bit dated, but he's super talented. Tracks like "As Yet Untitled" show he didn't need all the effects to be awesome. It's a little cool, a little funky, and a little over the top debut that's a great listen.

Up and down but listenable record. Not sure I would come back to it.

Jamais écouté avant.

Aucun doute, ça sonne comme les années 1980, pour le meilleur sur certains morceaux enthousiasmants, et le pire quand on se noie dans la guimauve. Du talent, c'est certain, mais pas de génie.

Top : ...Seven More Days
Flop : If You Let Me Stay

It was quite the debut, but the power of it is rather lost under the 80s sheen these days I guess.

Still some absolute bangers on here.

Solid 3

The first song was good, everything else sounded like Poundland MJ