After recording for Atlantic in the 1980s,
T'Pau switched to Charisma in 1991 with
The Promise, a collection of corporate pop-rock that wasn't terribly different from the British band's previous albums.
Carol Decker was still a likable lead singer, and
T'Pau still offered high-gloss material that -- although heavily produced and undeniably slick -- usually didn't sound like it came off a musical assembly line. The puzzling thing was that
T'Pau continued to be much better-known in England than in the U.S. Indeed, commercial, radio-minded songs like "Made of Money," "Only a Heartbeat" and "Soul Destruction" begged the question: if American listeners could accept
Roxette, why not
T'Pau?
The Promise isn't remarkable, but it isn't a bad listen either. ~ Alex Henderson