The first of
Bonnie Tyler's albums to not be released in America,
Bitterblue kicks off with a solid opening title track before veering through a pleasant collection of pop tunes sung with
Tyler's inimitable voice.
Tyler has replaced
Jim Steinman and
Desmond Child with disco impresario
Giorgio Moroder -- which makes an interesting pairing -- but one should not expect anything like
Donna Summer or the other Casablanca artists with whom
Moroder famously worked in the 1970s. Instead, he has given
Tyler's work a contemporary sheen that frames her vocals within the songs. At 14 tracks, the album feels like you get more bang for your buck, but -- with the exception of the catchy, singsongy title track -- there are no dynamite singles like the ones scattered across
Tyler's Columbia albums.
Bitterblue kicked off a new direction for
Tyler -- one much more mainstream and less bombastic -- and landed her a European audience that she would be catering to for the rest of her career. Better than most pop records, but not as strong as
Tyler's work with
Steinman and
Child. The pairing between
Tyler and
Moroder holds more promise than it actually delivers. Still a very pleasant listen nonetheless. ~ Tomas Mureika