Do you hear the one about the one you're now without?

Continuing my trip back through the 1994 album charts.

03/07/94 : Eddi Reader - Eddi Reader


I liked Eddi's voice in Fairground Attraction and have absolutely no reason to think I won't enjoy her solo stuff, but I'm not aware I've ever listened to any of it - so let's see, shall we?

Hmmm - well. She's got a lovely voice which is very clear and expressive but, on first listen at least, the songs just aren't strong enough. I liked "Joke (I'm Laughing)", but everything else just kinda washed over me without making any impression. The album was somewhat unlucky because after it had finished, Amazon Music followed it up in a "you might also like this" style with Deacon Blue's "Chocolate Girl" and The Proclaimers "Sunshine On Leith", which are both just so obviously stronger offerings. And then it really rammed the point home with Fairground Attraction's "Moon On The Rain" to tell her she shouldn't have gone solo!

We're at #8 in the charts this week on her second week of a decent enough twelve week run, with it having peaked at #4 in its debut week. The top five this week were Ace Of Base, Mariah Carey, Spin Doctors (probably a new entry) and best-ofs from Electric Light Orchestra and Wet Wet Wet with the next highest new entry being a best-of from Bob Geldof & The Boomtown Rats (#10). 

Wikipedia tells us it's her second solo album and her most successful on the back of the single "Patience Of Angels", with her winning the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist in the following year as a result. It was produced by Greg Penney who also produced kd lang's Ingènue (I can't believe we've not met that yet) and Kirsty MacColl wrote "Dear John" which she originally planned to record herself, but her divorce meant it felt a bit too close to the bone so she offered it to Eddi. Critically, I'm only able to tell you that the esteemed Knoxville News Sentinel liked it but it seems like the rest of the US didn't pay attention to their views because commercially it only did anything over here.

discogs.com tells us that you can will have to shell out £1.25 to pick up a decent copy of it but if you're desperate to splash out then you can spend £20, but it doesn't look to be any different from versions available for a fiver. I feel there are plenty better albums out there in this slightly fey folk vein though - it might possibly be a grower if I gave it a chance but I really doubt it and there's also no danger of that happening I'm afraid.

26/06/94 - An interesting miss
10/07/94 - Bearable, but not actually any good

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