Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby

look if you can't get laid when you put on "Sign My Name" on the stereo then man you just can't get laid.

I fucking hate 80’s production. The chime-y keyboards, the shit sounding drums drenched in reverb. It’s amazing how dated and of-their-time these songs sound because of awful production choices. I don’t know how artists listened to the records they were making back then and thought, “yes, this will be timeless…the coats of synthetic sheen we’re applying to our records will surely sound just as good 30 years from now as it does today.” Records like this don’t sound like they were made by humans. They sound like they were manufactured in a factory…like it’s not music, it’s a product made of plastic. I can’t divorce my feelings about 80’s production from the actual music. 2 stars, because there is probably a pretty good record buried underneath all the bullshit here.

THIS IS THE BIGGEST, MOST IMPORTANT ALBUM SINCE SGT. PEPPER! I HAVE TALENT THAT HASN'T BEEN UNEARTHED SINCE MOZART! These were among the things Terence Trent D'Arby was openly proclaiming to the press upon this album's release. Then he backed off a little saying only, "I made the most brilliant debut album from any artist this decade.” After he faced a backlash for making such bold statements, he claimed he was joking. I don't think he was joking. He may not have made Sgt. Pepper, and he may not have been Mozart, but dude was immensely talented. And he wasn't really wrong about that last statement suggesting this was the best debut album of the decade. He reminds me of someone else who released an equally brilliant debut album around the same time: Nenah Cherry. Both D'Arby and Cherry should have been colossal stars. They both should have soared to the heights that say George Michael and Whitney Houston reached. But they both sort of fizzled out after their debuts (my theory is a lot of that stems from the fact that neither of them were really all that interested after their debuts). It's too bad, but at least we have the albums, which remain timeless and belong in the upper tier of this list. Somehow, Lenny Kravitz ended up having the career and fame that should have been Terence Trent D'Arby's. I'll take "Wishing Well" over "Fly Away" anytime. In fact, I'll take anything from this album over any Kravitz record. Lenny is no Terence. Lenny doesn't have anything that compares to "Dance Little Sister" or even "Seven More Days". D'Arby was just ahead of his time. I doubt his bold proclamations would have caused such an uproar had this album come out 20 years later (see: Kanye, among others). I "only" gave Nena Cherry's entry 4.5 stars, and immediately kicked myself for not giving it the 5 it deserved. I'm not making that same mistake again. Apparently, Terrence Trent D'Arby legally changed his name to Sananda Maitreya back in 2001, claiming TTD was dead. He's wrong. Terence still rules. And Wishing Well will outlive us all.

This was not for me..I wish it had stayed in the 80s where it came from.

Extremely 80s and not in a good way.

This album is real good. I think it's "Soul music" according to wiki (but I'm not in familiar territory here). Terence's voice is incredible and always turned up to 11; he's just constantly putting in energy and effort. The songs are varied and moving but sometimes have fun melodies like in "Wishing Well" and "Dance Little Sister". My favourite one is probably "Seven More Days", coz he really pushes his voice in that one. I like every song to be honest. Sometimes the repetition is a bit frustrating (like in "Let's Go Forward") but I think that's a trait that's pulled from gospel music so I'll accept that as a stylistic choice on his part. Besides, he has a beautiful five and a half minute acapella track ("As Yet Untitled") with zero repetition so I suppose he's really covered that basis of variety. And he ends the album on a really cathartic 6/8 song that makes me wanna slow dance ("Who's Loving You"), which I really dig. There's nothing that musically interesting about it, but it's an awesome ending and Terence's voice sort of explodes into each line.

I know this guy's talented, and the songwriting isn't bad, but man I wish 80's production like this could just be wiped from the earth never to be heard again. Honestly takes any existing credibility to a song and just fucks it up once I heard those stupid-ass gated drums and cheesy synths. As other users said, who the fuck thought we'd come back to this and think it was actually well done? Talent like this deserves better, and at this point in this list I've had it with the 80s BS, I'm not playing nice anymore. 1/5.

Unremarkable, but also not my taste in music.

It is rare for me to hate hi-nrg pop sound, and fortunately, this is not a member of that club. What is rare is for me to enjoy 80s soul music. This guy does not rival Prince or Michael Jackson, despite what his ego claims. Yet these dance tracks are funky and employ great use of synths and instruments, creating a distinctive 80s sound all throughout while at the same time holding an identity of its own. I did think the choice of the intro song was a weak choice, but almost all the songs were solid (I'm looking at you, "As Yet Untitled"), and it ended satisfactory. I may relisten to this if I'm looking for 80s soul that is not one of the big boys.

A little disappointed that this wasn't funkier. 7

I get the sense much of this is directly addressed to black people--"dance little sister", "get up off that rockin' chair grandma", "pray for me", "don't give up your birthright"--a feeling reinforced by the way hooks emerge from D'Arby's heartfelt well-wishing. Not as pop device but as a way of unifying people through repetition focussing mental and spiritual faculties. [Something here about the oral tradition]. Just as the drums traverse the spectrum from filler match to main event, his voice traverses the spectrum from rough to honeyed so that, in a way, it feels like he's not only speaking to his audience but for them--in *their* voices. There are a few overstretches and misfires, but his spiritual generosity is catching, so I'll go high.

i enjoyed a lot of the instrumentation in this but was otherwise kinda just like: well that sure is 80s music that sounds like other 80s music. 2.5

Nice voice, cheesy music

Very 80s. I can see how people would've dug it at the time but it's just aged really poorly, and without the nostalgia connection it isn't really my thing. Dude has a good voice though.

I don’t like Prince’s production. I think that his production of instruments falls flat, it all sounds a bit hollow, a bit too muddy, a bit too artificial. I love everything else about Prince’s music, the instrumentation, the songwriting, the voice. Prince is one of the great artists of the late 20th century, of all time. It’s just a shame that his production sounds so relatively weak. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world. We have an R&B singer and songwriter, with a divine voice and just a classic sense of cool, regarding everything from his look to his songwriting. No, it isn’t Prince. It is Terence Trent D’Arby. This album is a masterpiece. It has everything, great music, great songwriting, great vocals. There is hardly anything on this album that could not be described as great. I came up with the Prince introduction because I thought it would be a fun way of mocking the album for it’s similarity to Prince, if it turned out to be bad. But it didn’t. Which is probably a massive dunk on me as a music critic. But I don’t see this as a negative. This is inspired by Prince, no doubt, but because of that it is still really, really good music. Possibly even better than Prince, because the production is better. It’s really a shame that the guy seems to have fallen off. Based on the music on his Debit it feels as if Trent D’Arby really should have taken off more. Bit at least we have Introducing The Hardline, which really is perfect

This has four shining singles that I have heard collectively probably a hundred times, but not at all in the last couple of decades, and I should’ve missed the guy. The rest works as solid examples of then-fashionable production techniques, sounds faxed-in from a distance, every edge rubbed off, many thin layers with space in between for copious echo. Soft keyboards, chiming shinies. Agreeable, overall. I like his sappy romanticism and wish it had carried into our toxic century. Simon, I tend not to read your reviews before posting, but today I have and I am joining you in solidarity on “4”.

In retrospect TTD was a far superior first draft of Lenny Kravitz. I feel bad we mocked him so incessantly, we didn't fully understand the consequences. I really enjoyed hearing this again - I think I taped it off a classmate back when; certainly knew all the songs and relished "If You Let Me Stay" and "Sign Your Name" now they are not hugely overplayed. Tel is clearly a talented guy, if rather full of himself. My old record company boss would claim the subsequent "Neither Fish Nor Flesh" was a lost work of absolute genius; I did not agree, but he could be a contrary and sappy git at times. Looks like Tezza changed his name in the meantime, and fair enough as (all together now:) the Trent isn't even in Derby, it's in Stoke! If I give this a 4, can we get something non-UK-'80s tomorrow, please?

nice 80s vibe--feels like it's two stars/one slot with him against Fine Young Cannibals.

I really enjoy The Hardline 5.0. The addition of Gen-X Davey is a huge positive and allows Bob and Corby to stay in their respective lanes. Hot dog. Best track: As Yet Untitled

47 minutes and 8 seconds of my life, wasted.

Bland. I skipped through this album trying to find one, ONE, song that I liked. Nothing. Its the soundtrack playing over the closing credits of many an 80s movie. Why is this album listed here? Why is it relevant?

Sooooo 80's. just horrible production.

I didn't really care for him when Wishing Well was all over the airwaves, and I don't care for him much now. He's got a soulful voice that got ruined by '80s production. Most of what I heard here sounds like what would later go on to be the Dave Matthews Band. Do with that what you will.

Great haunting voice. It was a huge in Miami back in 1987

great times

Très belle découverte. À réécouter

Great! Smooth voice r&b, my cats liked dancing to the more upbeat songs

Molto interessante, sia come "costruzione" sia per le singole canzoni, tipo "Wishing Well". Anche "Sign your name". Bello bello

Forgot how great this is

10/10 Holy moly i aint never heard of this jit before but oh my this album is a certified masterpiece fr fr

Loved it and saved to my collection!

Wow what a masterpiece this was

Wait, what is this album?! Sananda Maitreya created beautiful and engaging music in his debut album. The lyrics stood out; as nearly the only songwriter on his debut album, Maitreya revealed an ability to be emotionally raw. Even for well known singer/songwriters, to be that vulnerable on their debut is rare. His cover of a Smokey song reveals that Maitreya can go toe to toe with the Motown legend! Like, that long ass note that Maitreya held at the end?! But maybe more than that, "As Yet Untitled" displays his vocal prowess. The nerve to include a song of only his vocals is impressive, and the song is so beautiful in its simplicity. Both songs serve well as examples of his vocal talents. Maitreya's voice and stylings may be best for tender, soulful songs, but I rather enjoyed when he explored further. "Dance Little Sister" contains a faster beat and is quite fun! "Wishing Well" has this cute whistling that's so endearing. And the whole album is so smooth! I'm a big Prince fan, and I've heard several artists on this project that sounded too similar to Prince while lacking their own original sound. Maitreya doesn't do that! Yes, his funk is reminiscent of Prince because how can you make funk music in the eighties without evoking Prince? But there's a tenderness that even Prince didn't bring to his music. Maitreya dabbled more in the soul genre, which differentiates the two artists further. To wrap up this review, I can't find a bad song here. I cannot wait to listen to this album again, and even explore more of Maitreya's music. In truth, I'm surprised Maitreya isn't well known at all, and I'm disappointed I slept on him for too long.

Not an album I will probably relisten but it is good stuff.

there’s something about 80s soul music that hits hard for me and idk why

yes

I always thought Terence Trent D’Arby (or Sananda Maitreya as he is known now) was an absolute poseur and Prince wannabe. I expected to hate this But I was wrong This is absolutely fantastic. He has a terrific voice and the songs are amazing Rain is the only dud on an album of killers A most surprising 5 ⭐️ album

Ich kannte nur "Sign your Name" und war mehr der Hithörer in den 80iger. Jetzt habe ich dieses Album mehrmals angehört und finde, es ist ein großes Album. Beginnt fetzig cool und hört a Capella auf. Das sagt schon alles. Mega

Ok I didn’t know what to expect but whatever I was thinking has been exceeded! This album is everything I love about r&b/soul, it’s a genre that lends itself to creativity and can be easily blended with other genres. That was on display here and so much more.

Love this album. Brings back such good memories.

This is why I like this list. I have never heard of this artist and I'm blessed with this banger of an album. Fantastic all around. Seven More Days is probably my favorite, but everything here is enjoyable.

Another album I wasn’t expecting much from… I like Wishing Well and that’s all I knew. Turns out this album kicked ass and I loved it. What a fun era for music and he sounds great

Somewhere between Sade, Michael Jackson and Prince, we find this little gem. This album is soulful, atmospheric and with a sleek production that'll make anyone in LA blush. The only reason why I am not instantly in love with this thing, is because it is not quite what I feel like today. But I give this 4.5 stars and keep it in my back pocket for a sunny day BBQ. Note: If you ever want to hear how cool a really stupid easy guitar part can sound, the intro to I'll never turn my back on you is it.

Probably the definitive 80's soul album.

Few Albums have moved me like this one.

It's a hard one to judge this as it's bound up with so many memories- good and bad. Everyone loved this guy and his music. I don't know what happened but for a brief time he had the world. It's so smooth and 80s but just so so so gooooood......... If you weren't there you'll hate this!

pretty good

What a debut. Some amazing R&B here

This is a grower. When it came out I thought yeah it’s good. But decades later it’s a bit ahead of its time and has incredibly great songs. Finally a must listen. 4.5

I can spontaneous remember "wishing well" - a cool song; Soul +pop +80s - Hey Mr List, thanks for transporting all the walkmen owners back to those 80s parties! I’m having fun before even hitting play! Will the whole album cut it? Lets see... Ok. Verdict? This is some soulful sexy sh*t. And don't miss him as a Micheal Jackson copy just because for the first few tracks - there is something different here. Even better than expected - standouts are superb: *****Wishing well, *****Sign your name, (how did I forget pure sex soul & cool 80's ) plus the spatial stereo affects?=makes me almost laugh out loud. But its sexy cool, like Axel F, right ?) ****and I also like the last track where he really launches it. We called that “raunch” Scorching in places. Why didn't he continue? I looked him up. OK, quite on ovulation for me to catch up. I do hope to enjoy his voice again, and enjoy his maturation and what looks like a massive stylistic evolution. A surprising 4-5, rounding up, as i DO want to hear dis more

I really wasn’t expecting give this 5 stars, but it’s honestly just really enjoyable pop music, even if the claim of being the best album since Sgt. Pepper’s. Just a nice treat from the generator - kind of like Rio, except I would have never listened to this otherwise.

cool

Loved his voice, the songs- feel Bad that he fell off my radar.

"Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trend D'Arby" was a tremendously brilliant album back in 1987 and is still—an easy 5 Star.

Oh so good!

Silky Smooth

I saw him at the launch of this at Oxford Street Virgin Megastore. He was brilliant 🤩

Holy soul! If You Let Me Stay sounds so familiar especially the backing baseline but I can not figure out if I know it from a cover. That album was powerful. Such impressive singing by him and the backing choir on a few of the songs made it even more epic. The horn usage I'm a bunch of songs really added some great elements as well. A few of the songs were a bit slow for me by themself but they added greatly to build up some of the more intense songs. This worked perfectly with the last two songs. I was between a 4 and a 5 here but I'm going to give it the step up because I think it was a pretty special album

Really enjoyed every track actually!

L'r&b poques vegades ha sonat tan potent. Amb els anys Samanda passaria per vàries turbulències personals i professionals, pero el seu primer i tercer disc són dels millors treballs dels 80 i 90 respectivament. En aquest, singles tan imbatibles com 'Sign Your Name', 'Wishing Well', 'If You Let Me Stay' o 'Dance Little Sister' es barregen amb album tracks gairebé igual de recomenables com 'Seven More Days' o 'If You All Get to Heaven'. Una meravella sense moment dolent que mirava de tu a tu a les grans obres d'aquells anys dels seus rivals artístics Michael Jackson o Prince

Really enjoyed it!

Wow. He has a great voice, and there's a dark strength to this album. I really enjoyed it. I'm saving this to my favorites list.

1 cos researching the artist they sound like an annoying asshole and this album is such mediocre 80s pop music that them being a dick immediately brings it way down. Them claiming this was the most important album since Sgt Peppers is so funny lmao

Yeah this was an enjoyable listen all the way through. Very good stuff Stand out songs: - Dance Little Sister - Who's Loving You

I loved this album when it was first released. His soulful voice and catchy melodies... nearly everything is perfect here (though Dance Little Sister and As Yet Untitled are kind of duds to me). An incredible release. What I remember most about this album is how bad the follow-up was. Terence Trent D'Arby is my vote for the artist that fell the furthest from Album #1 to Album #2. Still an amazing release.

One of the weirdest things in pop music history. One of the best singers of the last 35-40 years makes, out of the blue, a smash hit debut album second half 80s (8M copies sold): this album which contains several great songs, including two absolute classics, and is nearly perfect in terms of production and flow.. .. then has some moderate European success a couple of albums later down the line (with songs just as strong as his debut modulo "Wishing Well" & "Sign Your Name").. ...and then changes his name, and just disappears to Italy, where he regular goes on tour, while all the time releasing 75-min to 3-hour albums, most of which could have easily been cut down to 3*-4* albums of 35-40 minutes. It is a bit of a mystery why in 1995 the Vibrator tour (with a great band with amongst others, Kevin Wyatt) did not put him back on the map - just listen to the impressive live version of "Let Her Down Easy" recorded in London '95 on Youtube. ..or not? -> check a 2017 Guardian interview or Nick Duerden's Exist Stage Left...

Music is treasure because it evokes memories both remembered and forgotten. 1987 was a magical year for me and this album evokes that magic. Love it.

The rest of the album is much better that the top 40 hit "Wishing Well:

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: If you all get to heaven, If you let me stay, Dance little sister, Seven more days, Rain, Sign tour name, Who’s loving you

Okay daddy

Muy muy fresco Me ha gustado mucho

A fantastic album.

I love this album, there isn’t a bad track on it and it flows from track to track. It’s been many years since I last listened to it, it’s now on my repeat playlist 5/5

Brilliant - what a voice! At least 7 world-class songs on this album. Shame he went nuts after it.

p584, 1987. 5 stars. 2022-01-25 1980s electro soul. Great voice, catchy hooks, great songs. Production a bit dated - cheesy synths - but still excellent and still sounds great today. I'd forgotten what a great album this is.

Ok...so...Im shook. I have two songs, of course they were all over radio but I never listened to the album. This is surprisingly good. I mean really good.

Loved it! Keep in rotation!

Потрясающе!

This one, damn, van mijn sokken geblazen. Putting it on the Vynil buying list.

Giving it a 9 for now, but I didn't really get to focus on it properly because I was playing with excel. Will revisit.

Ordentliches 80er Album mit „Wishing Well“ und „Sign Your Name“. Auch R&B kann gut sein und gerne wiedergehört werden.

Very fun album.

Good songs and rhythms. Easy to listen to and not just for the background.

Really enjoyed this one, his voice is super soulful and really cool, and even though it drags slightly at the end it’s saved by a wonderful last two tracks and a very strong first half.

Wishing Well and Sign Your Name are great songs. They both have a sort of mystical pop romance vibe that reminds me of Prince. I also like Who's Loving You, which has a soulful Sam Cooke feel to it. Rain has a pretty great beat. Seven More Days is a cool dark groove about a guy in jail that wants to get home to his woman or his man or his family or something. And he may have been wrongfully accused and this may be a social commentary but it's not exactly clear. I don't normally go for 80's R&B grooves but I like Let's Go Forward With Our Love. Dance Little Sister gives me Stevie vibes. How can you not groove to that one?! It's a pretty cool 80's album with lots of different moods to the grooves.

Enjoyable! I know the hits Wishing Well and Sign Your Name. I never would have sought this album out but having heard it, I’d definitely come back to it. It has that wonderful 1987 production sheen to it.

Great find

I like r&b and the pop vibes from this album. Vocals were a nice change of pace from the slog of British rock. 3.7

funky pop music. this album has that distinct (and maybe corny to a lot of people) clean, echoey dancey vibe that's heard in a plethora of 80s releases; definitely a hidden gem especially if you're into the almost stereotypically 1980s sort of sound. plenty of love songs, plenty of songs about identity, spiritual imagery and influence... while i can't imagine i'll be worshipping this album, it absolutely stands out by itself in the world of contemporary 80s albums. i am obsessed with maitreya's singing voice, talk about the RASP. i love that. he at times reminds me of a postmodern james brown.

Fint album, fina melodier!

На своєму дебютному альбомі Terence Trent D'Arby дуже вдало зміг змішати ретро елементи класичного соулу та більш сучасне, на той час, звучання, що частково нагадує Майкла Джексона. Звісно, до Джексона Terence не доріс, але все тим не менш, альбом все ж вартий уваги у розрізі R&B релізів свого часу. Як на мене, найбільш цікавою його рисою є те, що альбом ніби як одночасно і "свіжий і ностальгічний". При чому "свіжим" він відчувається навіть в наш час, а деякі його мелодії і досі здатні дивують своєю харизматичністю, взяти хоча б ту саму Wishing Well. А якщо говорити про більш "класичну" та енергійну соул/фанк складову - то у ній Terence ніби як "риба у воді" та із легкістю "грається з вокальним діапазоном". Насправді, більше особливо про нього і нема шо казати - вельми гарний R&B свого часу, який 100%-во зможе подарувати гарний настрій.

I am partial to a bit of 80s cheese

I was not aware of this one prior to the list but i enjoyed it!

La canción mas conocida es Sign your name y Dance little sister

Cool!

Origineel, niet helemaal mijn ding, maar wel echt iets anders.

Excellent album

Terrence Trent D’Arby once said ‘ One thing about Italians is you can't let them in your head. They're inquisitive. The English and Germans are a dog tribe; the Italians are cats. They're very helpful, but it's in their own rhythm, their own way, and it can drive you crazy’. Which is mad cos Houmous & Chutneys 17th studio album was called Italian Pussy. Everyone thought it was about Len’s love affair with Nancy Dell’Olio but in fact it was because we saw Italians as very cool cats! 3.7

Great voice - arrangements sort of remind me of Hall & Oates - pretty cool laid back sound. Works for me...

The last two tracks on this album, “As Yet Untitled” and “Who’s Loving You,” are 🔥🔥🔥 vocals performances.