For their debut album
Swing Out Sister fit in snuggly with the
British sophisti-pop scene while on their follow-up they added more vintage
lounge and 1960s
spy soundtrack touches to what was essentially a 1980s
synth pop sound. For
Get in Touch With Yourself the band bring together the two approaches, making this a more sonically creative album than
It's Better to Travel while at times fitting into mainstream
adult contemporary more easily than
Kaleidoscope World.
Get in Touch With Yourself is also a stronger album overall than either, with a better-written batch of songs, including the title track,
"Notgonnachange," and
"Am I the Same Girl," an old '60s dancefloor hit that was rediscovered (and much sampled) after
Swing Out Sister resurrected it here. For all the album's strengths, however, it shows how the band was trapped between two worlds at the early stage of their career: the retro-futurist instrumentals and sonic flourishes on
Get in Touch With Yourself are probably too adventurous for mass appeal while the album is too slick, airbrushed, and tied into modern
adult contemporary to draw in
alternative listeners. In a way, this has always been
Swing Out Sister's problem -- they're either too hip or too square...and often at the same time. The songs from this album that are featured on their next release, the import-only
Live at the Jazz Cafe, are infinitely more appealing and exciting than the versions heard here. Thankfully, after this album, the band would be able to bring that level of excitement to their studio albums as well. Sadly, this would cost the band any label or radio support even as the quality of their studio work improved immeasurably. ~ Nick Dedina
![The The Wheel [Deluxe Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0691835762227_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "The The Wheel [Deluxe Edition]")
