ADVANCE REVIEW: Aqua, Aquarium (MCA)
- Bob Gajarsky
She's been on more dream dates than Cindy Crawford. Her measurements, if converted to real life, would be 39-18-33 on a 5'6, 110 pound frame, and cause her to lean over more than a certain tower in Pisa. In 1992, the average American girl owned 7 Barbie dolls. And now, Barbie is the star of the flirtatious song which is coming out of seemingly every radio station.
The Danish group Aqua is responsible for bringing the perky blonde to life in the single "Barbie Girl", in which Ken and Barbie nearly engage in verbal doll foreplay ("You can brush my hair / undress me anywhere", later followed by "Make me walk, make me talk, do whatever you please / I can act like a star, I can beg on my knees") in a campy frolic through a Eurodisco hit owing much to the early 1980s. The rest of the Danish group's debut album, Aquamarine, also owes much to the eighties timeframe.
Nearly every track on Aquarium incorporates familiar sounds or singing methods, with predictable results - no deep messages, but Eurodisco that will get the part-time clubbers out of the suburbs and onto the dance floors.
"My Oh My" is one of the 'highlighted' tracks on Aquamarine. Although it debuted on the Danish charts at #1, it doesn't maintain the endearing quality - or hook - that most chart-toppers possess. However, "My" and other songs such as has the bouncy, happy feel that can seamlessly blend between tracks from Whigfield and Ace of Base.
Rene' Dif's rap comes off as a clone of Real McCoy's O-Jay, and supports Lene Grawford Nystrom's lead vocals. But, just like sugar coated candy that you know - in the long run - is bad for you, Aqua's bubblegum sound draws you in like bees to honey.
"Roses Are Red" is more Ace of Base - but this time, if the Swedes were on acid. "Lollipop (Candyman)" skirts the edges of techno and happy house, showing more traces of Real McCoy. "Good Morning Sunshine" and "Heat Of The Night" have a slight Latin tinge, a la Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" being tossed into a copy of the Pet Shop Boys' Bilingual. More Madonna/PSB permutations occur on "Turn Back Time", which is a mixture of PSB's "Heart" and a sped up version of "Live To Tell". "Calling You" comes off as a Barry Harris hybridization; his days with Kon Kan ("Harry Houdini") blending with his current outfit, Outta Control, especially on their cover of Joan Osborne's "One Of Us". The key to all of these tracks is that while they bear resemblances to known songs, Aqua turn them into something new, and uniquely irresistible.
From top to bottom, Aquamarine is a top notch dance album incorporating much of the eighties dance sound for the nineties. If America is ready to handle Eurodisco, Aqua could well be the pioneers of this genre. Otherwise, look for "Barbie Girl" to fall in the Top 40 book with an 'N', for novelty, next to its title.
Aqua's Aquarium hits U.S. record stores on September 16.
