Album Review: Gabrielle – Now and Always: 20 Years of Dreaming
3 min read
British singer-song writer Gabrielle released her debut single Dreams from her first album Find Your Way in 1993. To celebrate the 20th anniversary since its release and her success that followed, Gabrielle is releasing a compilation album entitled Now and Always: 20 Years of Dreaming. Hers is a career worthy of celebrating if ever there was one, having sold over 10 million records and experiencing massive success in worldwide charts. The record includes a selection of the singer’s biggest hits as well as 7 new tracks, sure to please fans that have been waiting for new material since 2007’s album Always.
The 34-track compilation is split into two discs and features both hit and unreleased singles from her albums, as well as remixes and brand new songs. Beginning with the new single Say Goodbye, it’s clear that Gabrielle is as talented as ever as she sings the soulful pop tune. The first of the two discs hosts all of the new tracks as well as the massive singles Walk On By, Out of Reach and Dreams.
The next new song on the album is Knew Me, a classic Gabrielle style upbeat R&B –pop track with a catchy chorus. Her voice hasn’t lost any of its spark in her 6 year absence as she effortlessly glides through the song which could have fit in on any of her older albums.
An unreleased version of her debut single Dreams also features on the first disc, reworked with English musician and producer Naughty Boy. The revised version is more subdued and slower than the original, sounding somewhat more modern than the 1993 hit.
Speaking of being modern, another new song Show Me What You Got is an upbeat dance-club track which wouldn’t be out of place in today’s mainstream music stations. The song is followed by It Takes Time, a new ballad followed by 2 classic hits then another new ballad in the title track Now and Always.
To conclude the bunch of new songs is Holding On For You, a soulful R&B track with smooth and fast paced beats and rounded out with a rock and roll guitar riff. The record continues on to some older hits and ends with Closure before disc 2 starts with If You Ever.
Disc 2 features hit singles including Going Nowhere, I Wish, Because of You and Every Little Teardrop. The disc also includes some album tracks previously unreleased as singles such as All I Want and Show Me Love from Always. The album ends with a mellow Daft Punk mix of Forget About the World, a B-Side to the single of the same name.
Fans of Gabrielle should be pleased with the giant collection of tracks on this celebratory compilation album. Overall, 20 Years of Dreaming is a wonderful selection of Gabrielle’s hits and the new tracks are an extra treat for fans who have waited years for them.
[CBC country=”us” show=”y”]Buy ‘Gabrielle – Now and Always: 20 Years of Dreaming’ from Amazon
[CBC country=”uk” show=”y”]Buy ‘Gabrielle – Now and Always: 20 Years of Dreaming’ from Amazon
