Laura Branigan - Albums Collection 1982-1993 (7CD)

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Laura Branigan - Albums Collection 1982-1993 (7CD)

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Pop singer/actress Laura Branigan was born on July 3, 1957, in the upstate New York town of Brewster. It wasn't until her senior year in high school that Branigan thought of pursuing a musical career, after she landed a lead role in a school musical, which led to her acceptance at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City by the mid-'70s. Branigan then signed on as a backing vocalist for Leonard Cohen, as she toured the world with the renowned singer/songwriter throughout the late '70s; resulting in the singer landing a recording contract on her own with Atlantic Records. But a breach-of-contract lawsuit resulted after Branigan changed management, which held up work commencing on her solo debut. With all issues sorted out by the early '80s, Branigan was now free to launch her solo career, as her debut, Branigan, was issued in 1982.

The album spawned one of the year's top pop hits, the Donna Summer-like "Gloria," a remake of an Italian pop song from the '70s that peaked at number six in the U.K. and number two in the U.S. (the song also earned Branigan her first of four subsequent Grammy nominations for Best Pop Vocal Performance Female). The song's popularity reached massive proportions in other parts of the world, especially Germany, where the Branigan version of "Gloria" sat at the number one position while the original Italian version held the number two spot. 1983's Branigan 2 spawned another two sizeable U.S. hit singles with "Solitaire" and "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" (the latter of which was co-written by a then-unknown Michael Bolton), while she also appeared on the hit soundtrack to Flashdance that same year with the track "Imagination."

Further albums were issued during the remainder of the '80s, 1984's Self Control, 1985's Hold Me, and 1987's Touch, all of which spawned hit singles: the title track from Self Control, "The Lucky One," "Ti Amo," "Spanish Eddie," "I Found Someone," the title track from Hold Me, "Shattered Glass," and "The Power of Love." But, by the dawn of the '90s, the hits had dried up for Branigan, as such albums as 1990's self-titled release and 1993's Over My Heart went completely unnoticed. In 1994, Branigan dueted with David Hasselhoff on the track "I Believe" for the Baywatch soundtrack, and a year later, the singer's first hits compilation, the 13-track The Best of Branigan, was issued. In addition to issuing albums, Branigan kept her acting career going all along, as evidenced by guest spots on the TV show CHiPS, the movies Mugsy's Girl (1984) and Backstage (1988), plus the German television movie An American Girl In Berlin (1981). Branigan returned to the public eye in 2002, earning rave reviews with her portrayal of Janis Joplin in the hit New York City musical Love, Janis. On August 26, 2004 Laura Branigan suffered a brain aneurysm and died in her sleep.

Greg Prato, Allmusic.com

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Laura Branigan - Albums Collection 1982-1993 (7CD)

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Since the only song from this album that's heard on the radio is "Gloria" this album appears to be full of "filler material", but this is far from the truth! Branigan is as good as they come. In fact, this album is one of the best albums ever made; every song is solid, engaging, and memorable. This is a must-have CD for anyone who wants a `complete music collection'. The reason this CD is so captivating is due to Laura's remarkably strong vocals. Her voice is in full power, yet she never approaches the point of screaming or even coming close to straining her voice; in fact Laura has a tender vulnerability and innocence that adds great depth to these songs. The album contains only 9 songs, alternating between up-tempo songs to soft ballads, but all 9 songs were wonderfully written, arranged and sung. The ballads offer strong, and sometimes unusual, instrumentation with a solid base, yet they still allow her powerful vocals to take the spotlight. When Laura sings the up-tempo songs, both her vocals and the music are in full power. This CD is remarkable because Branigan is Laura Branigan's debut release and it is unusual for a new artists to have such strength and control of his/her voice. This CD includes her self-penned ballad titled "I Wish We Could Be Alone", as well as her #2 charting dance song "Gloria". "All Night With Me" is a touching ballad exposing the vulnerable side of Laura Branigan while "Living A Lie" shows Laura in a confrontational state of mind. Diane Warren, who at the time was a just starting to be noticed as a song writer, wrote "If You Loved Me" (she has written hits for numerous singers such as Celine Dion, Michael Boltin and Bette Midler). "If You Loved Me" is a dramatic plea to a lost love. An unusual piano introduction begins the dance song, "Please Stay, Go Away". Listen and enjoy… then listen again and again and again…

Joseph M. Shovels, Amazon.com

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Laura Branigan - Albums Collection 1982-1993 (7CD)

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Laura Branigan's full, expressive voice shows serious growth on this, her second album. A much more cohesive collection than her first disc, the material on Branigan 2 utilizes her vocals to their fullest extent; and while there were many filler songs on her debut, this album doesn't waste a single track. That is not to say Branigan 2 is perfect, but simply that there is something worthwhile in each cut. "Solitaire," with its quiet beginnings and pull-out-all-the-stops finale, shows off just what chops this singer has. "Deep in the Dark" is sexy and, despite coming hot on the heels of a German version ("Der Komissar" by After the Fire), is different and sexy enough to be welcome as opposed to unnecessary. She does a far superior version of Michael Bolton's "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," though his version was a much bigger hit years later; while Bolton went over the top with his vocals and production, Branigan's take is simpler, prettier, and shows shades of emotion at which Bolton could only hint. While covering a Who song might be considered foolish (or brave) for so new a singer, it pays off as "Squeeze Box" is playful and sexy without being disrespectful to the original. "Mama," a whispered penance for having given in to a bad boy, shows that Branigan knows when to cut the dramatics. And "Lucky," a pretty, guitar-driven ballad, is bittersweet without being cloying. As always for Branigan, the struggle is simply to find material and production to match her vocals. And, though this album isn't the most mature album of its time, it shows she's more comfortable with herself and her voice and shows enormous promise of what she's really capable.

Bryan Buss, Allmusic.com

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Laura Branigan - Albums Collection 1982-1993 (7CD)

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Laura Branigan's third album capitalized on the Euro-dance-pop and affecting ballads that made her an international star while allowing her to grow as a vocalist. Her collections, always uneven in terms of material, benefit mostly from her stellar voice, and this is no exception."The Lucky One" and "Heart" start slow and build to a crescendo, perfectly showcasing her range without being obvious. The title track, about finding sex in the seamy side of town, sparked a bit of a controversy, but ended up being her second biggest hit. The song itself works, but Branigan was never a sex bomb, so the fact that she pulls it off is indicative of her power as a performer. "Ti Amo" is the album's theatrical ballad, which works well with breathy, dramatic vocals. She even pulls off a graceful cover of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" that is clear and simple, while "Breaking Out" and "Take Me" are perfect examples of synthesizer-driven '80s dance ditties. The only slow moments come with "Silent Partners" and "With Every Beat of My Heart," and that's not because they're ballads. The production bogs them down, and the lyrics are so pedestrian, you won't find yourself moved by them except to skip to the next song.

Bryan Buss, Allmusic.com

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Laura Branigan - Albums Collection 1982-1993 (7CD)

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Laura Branigan began to falter in her quest to be the white, '80s Donna Summer with her fourth album, which failed to scale the sales heights of her first three, despite another clutch of dramatic, heavily produced Eurodisco tracks, three of which found their way onto the singles charts. The closest thing to a hit was "Spanish Eddie" (this album's remake of her first smash, "Gloria"), a song with an odd street-life lyric that made reference to Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row." Indeed, the ghost of Bob seemed to be haunting this album, which featured yet another song called "Forever Young." Elsewhere, Branigan again turned to songwriter Michael Bolton for "I Found Someone," and as she had with "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You," did it much better than its author, for what it's worth. But on the whole, Hold Me found The Branigan formula growing stale.

William Ruhlmann, Allmusic.com

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Laura Branigan - Albums Collection 1982-1993 (7CD)

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Laura Branigan's fifth album, Touch, showed signs of maturity as she made a bid (that was not quite successful) for adult contemporary crossover – a smart chance to take considering the longevity many A/C acts have. Her big, boomy voice is perfect for some of the moody ballads on this collection, such as "Over Love," "Meaning of the Word," and "Spirit of Love," but there are so many of those successfully evocative cuts that the dance songs don't fit as seamlessly as they should. That's not to say the upbeat tracks are not in good shape: The lead single, "Shattered Glass" (produced by Stock, Aitken, Waterman, who produced successful Bananarama and Kylie Minogue singles in the same period), and "Angels Calling" stand out; you can hardly hold back from caroling along. Synthesizer-heavy throughout, on both the slow and fast songs, the strings on the yearning "Cry Wolf" near the end of the album are welcome. The lyrics on many of the cuts are poetic and adult, making this atmospheric collection the best product she'd released so far; the material is far better suited to her voice – which has never sounded better – than the Europop she recorded prior to this. "The Power of Love" exhibits the weight she can convey in a whisper, while also giving her something to really sink her teeth into. Her voice being her strongest asset, Branigan never received the direction Celine Dion did, so she never achieved the same massive success, though her voice is equal in terms of power, beauty, and distinction.

Bryan Buss, Allmusic.com

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Laura Branigan - Albums Collection 1982-1993 (7CD)

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This 1990 release from the talented Ms. Branigan continued the technopop success achieved in her GLORIA/SELF CONTROL days. She belts out all the tunes with her usual gusto, the quivering voice being forceful, evocative, sexy, vulnerable. Although no hits were evinced, there are some good tracks here and one stunning performance. Bryan Adams' THE BEST WAS YET TO COME is really beautiful, with its string synth and gorgeous choral harmonies, and Laura's emotional vocal, it's one of her best.
I really enjoy the upbeat throaty sexy MOONLIGHT ON WATER and LET ME IN and the slower NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS. Her version of the infectious TURN THE BEAT AROUND matches Vicki Sue Robinson's original disco smash and gets that foot tapping! Laura was a true artist and will be remembered by her many fans.

Michael Butts, Amazon.com

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Laura Branigan - Albums Collection 1982-1993 (7CD)

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I am dedicating this cd to my first love of my life, There will always be a special place in my heart for him. From every song on the cd is breathtaking to hear her voice, the words it seems like to me she is standing in front of me singing. There are 12 songs and from number 1- till the end is perfect. You never get over your first love and Laura Branigan and Sheena Easton were the first singers in my life, you dont forget those voices ever. Laura Branigan I will never be Over You. Get this cd you will not be disappointed at all. It is magnificent! Laura you are an ANGEL in Heaven. Listen to that amazing and powerful voice.

Roberta Hotard, Amazon.com