Touch

by Laura Branigan

Overview

Laura Branigan's fifth album, Touch, showed signs of maturity as she made a bid (that was not quite successful) for adult contemporary crossover -- a smart chance to take considering the longevity many A/C acts have. Her big, boomy voice is perfect for some of the moody ballads on this collection, such as "Over Love," "Meaning of the Word," and "Spirit of Love," but there are so many of those successfully evocative cuts that the dance songs don't fit as seamlessly as they should. That's not to say the upbeat tracks are not in good shape: The lead single, "Shattered Glass" (produced by Stock, Aitken, Waterman, who produced successful Bananarama and Kylie Minogue singles in the same period), and "Angels Calling" stand out; you can hardly hold back from caroling along. Synthesizer-heavy throughout, on both the slow and fast songs, the strings on the yearning "Cry Wolf" near the end of the album are welcome. The lyrics on many of the cuts are poetic and adult, making this atmospheric collection the best product she'd released so far; the material is far better suited to her voice -- which has never sounded better -- than the Europop she recorded prior to this. "The Power of Love" exhibits the weight she can convey in a whisper, while also giving her something to really sink her teeth into. Her voice being her strongest asset, Branigan never received the direction Celine Dion did, so she never achieved the same massive success, though her voice is equal in terms of power, beauty, and distinction. ~ Bryan Buss

Product Details

Release Date:	10/25/1990
Label:	Atlantic
UPC:	0075678174728

Tracks

1. Over Love
2. Shadow of Love
3. Angels Calling
4. Meaning of the Word
5. Power of Love
6. Shattered Glass
7. Whatever I Do
8. Spirit of Love
9. Name Game
10. Touch
11. Cry Wolf
12. Statue in the Rain

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Laura Branigan   Primary Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Donna De Lory   Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Jeff Lorber   Guest Artist,Keyboards
Carl Gordon   Vocals (Background)
Bob Marlette   Keyboards,Drums,Guitar,Vocals
Dee Lewis   Vocals (Background)
Matt Aitken   Guitar,Keyboards
Mark Leggett   Keyboards,Guitar
John Nelson   Guitar
Coral Gordon   Vocals (Background)
Dennis Henson   Vocals (Background)
Rick Palombi   Drums,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Mike Stock   Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Michael Landau   Guitar,Vocals
Monalisa Young   Vocals (Background)
Sue Shifrin   Vocals (Background)
Carlos Vega   Drums
Kim Scharnberg   Strings
John O'Hara   Keyboards
A. Linn   Drums

Technical Credits

Victoria Pearson   Photography
Mary Susan Applegate   Composer
Cliff Jones   Engineer
Bob Mitchell   Composer,Composer
Janis Wilkins   Design,Art Direction
Gunter Mende   Composer
Bob Marlette   Arranger,Composer,Programming,Drum Programming
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Billy Steinberg   Composer
David Kershenbaum   Producer
Ellen Shipley   Composer
David J. Holman   Mixing,Engineer,Programming
Jeff Lorber   Arranger,Programming,Drum Programming
John Guess   Engineer
Jude Johnstone   Composer
Mark McGuire   Engineer
Rick Nowels   Composer
Pete Waterman   Producer
Ray Leonard   Engineer
Matt Aitken   Composer,Producer,Programming
Mark Leggett   Drum Programming,Arranger
Andrew Thomas   Programming
Candy de Rouge   Composer
Rick Palombi   Arranger,Composer,Programming,Drum Programming
Hugh Ragan   Hair Stylist
Matthew Garey   Composer
Tony Moran   Mixing,Producer
Steve Coe   Composer
Mike Stock   Composer,Producer,Programming
Sue Shifrin   Composer
Shirley Ellis   Composer
Lincoln Chase   Composer
Jennifer Rush   Composer
Roy Freeland   Composer
Albert Cabrera   Mixing,Producer
Kim Scharnberg   String Arrangements
Peter Hammond   Mixing
Jan Mullaney   Composer
Gunther Mende   Composer