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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Album Review: Toni Childs - Union (1988)

Once upon a time, back in 1988, I was listening to the radio when I heard the sound of a singer with a voice like Barry White on helium. The song sounded pretty good, it had a nice melody, and so did the other two or so songs by the same artist that received airplay. For a while I thought it was a man singing these songs, but to my surprise, it wasn't. It was Toni Childs, a 'chick'. Now back then, for a lady to sound like a pro-wrestler that's just been Rochambeau-ed was a truly traumatic experience for a six year old aspiring music critic. Good thing I hadn't yet been exposed to Tracy Chapman, otherwise puberty would've come early that year, for sure.

But that voice would prove to be what I think is one of the most underrated in the industry, and if you've ever listened to Toni Childs' debut album, Union, you'd wholeheartedly agree. If you didn't, you should give up petrol sniffing and have your ears checked, because the poor sales record of this album (a pitiful 500k in the US, if I'm not mistaken) is a greater injustice than having all the starving third-world kiddies living off flies and ox dung. And the tracks say it all - radio favorites like "Don't Walk Away" and "Stop Your Fussin'" echo that distinctive "half-dropped teste" voice into the wild blue yonder, whilst "Hush" incrementally ups the emotive feedback with a pseudo-power ballad like imposition. Why this album failed to make any significant impact on the charts escapes me - it's all capitalism's fault this album garnered less praise than it truly deserves. Make no mistake, Toni's voice is distinct; it can take some getting used to, but you'll soon appreciate it for its identity and quality. A


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