REVIEW: Culture Beat, Serenity
- Bob Gajarsky
The common gripe about most dance albums is their lack of depth and variety. Many artists are one-song wonders with one catchy beat that grows old quickly. Culture Beat is hoping to avoid that tag with their recent release, Serenity. Combining sounds that created international fame for groups like Snap and Technotronic with a techno backbeat, Culture Beat has created perhaps the dance album of 1993.
"Mr. Vain", the first single from Serenity, was a worldwide smash, topping the charts across Europe and Australia. The song uses an almost identical beat as Snap's 1991 smash, "Rhythm Is A Dancer", so its sound is familiar to U.S. audiences. Currently zooming up the pop charts, it seems likely to achieve top 10 status.
Serenity is Culture Beat's second U.S. album, following up 1991's Horizon. That album gave the band some inroads at nightclubs, but it took the release of "Mr. Vain" for the band to break things wide open.
The musical backbone of Culture Beat is Torsten Fenslau, who was the resident DJ at the famed "Dorian Gray" disco at Frankfurt Airport. Unfortunately, Fenslau died in an automobile accident in Germany on November 6, 1993. The vocal part of the group (New Jersey native, rapper Jay, and London native Tania) is continuing onward, and is actually touring the states at this time.
Of the other songs on the album, "Adelante" has a driving beat designed to get you out of your seat, with Jay repeatedly screaming "La puerta esta abierta!" ("The door is open!"). "The Other Side of Me" has the same driving beat as "Mr. Vain", but instead of singing in-your-face, it remains a little more laid back. "Mother Earth" has some keyboards reminiscent of New Order and "Anything" uses a melody that recalls the girl groups of the '50s and '60s. The only dull point of the album is the slower song, as "Key To Your Heart".
So, in conclusion? This album packs no unpleasant surprises; keyboard driven music made for a dancing generation, created with a European sound in mind. Guaranteed to make entire legions of people get up and dance, now!
