Although Imagination started out with a little fiery funk and dubbed-out soul in their sound, by the time 1984's New Dimension hit the stores, they had managed to smooth out all the rough edges that gave them the creative credibility they once took for granted. Smooth, slick, and full of shmooze, New Dimension's twisted '80s-wave mood creates a sound which brings the blander elements of Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet to mind -- especially on the title track and across both "State of Love" and "Wrong in Love." The songs move and shake and do all the right things -- it's just that there were 500 other bands doing the exact same thing, and usually with a lot more soul. One can't help but feel that Imagination would have made a bigger dent had they kept the sounds they started with, rather that caving in to the pressure to become just another dose of Top of the Pops pap. Imagination does manage to shake things up a little on "Looking at Midnight," which actually sounds like they woke up long enough to enjoy themselves. "This Means War (Shoobedoodah Daba Doobee)" also had a nice spark, and gave the band a generous number 29 slot on the U.S. R&B charts. But that's as far as it goes. Trying to catch the funk isn't the same as having it course through your veins and, ultimately, New Dimension just doesn't come together. At the end of the day, there just isn't enough here to catch the band on fire.