Bitterblue

The first of Bonnie Tyler's albums to not be released in America, Bitterblue kicks off with a solid opening title track before veering through a pleasant collection of pop tunes sung with Tyler's inimitable voice. Tyler has replaced Jim Steinman and Desmond Child with disco impresario Giorgio Moroder — which makes an interesting pairing — but one should not expect anything like Donna Summer or the other Casablanca artists with whom Moroder famously worked in the 1970s. Instead, he has given Tyler's work a contemporary sheen that frames her vocals within the songs. At 14 tracks, the album feels like you get more bang for your buck, but — with the exception of the catchy, singsongy title track — there are no dynamite singles like the ones scattered across Tyler's Columbia albums. Bitterblue kicked off a new direction for Tyler — one much more mainstream and less bombastic — and landed her a European audience that she would be catering to for the rest of her career. Better than most pop records, but not as strong as Tyler's work with Steinman and Child. The pairing between Tyler and Moroder holds more promise than it actually delivers. Still a very pleasant listen nonetheless.