Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby

Here's the thing, in my young and cynical eyes Terence did not help himself by describing this album as 'one of the greatest ever made, as good as anything by the Beatles or Prince in terms of genius'. A big bold claim which made me unequivocally hate him for the rest of his time in the spot light. I did not and still do not like people with zero humility. Turns out this was just a ploy designed to raise him profile, what did I know at the time? Did I care? Not one jot. So, when I saw this work of genius appear in this list I was a bit sceptical, but with plenty of years on me, I gave it a fair listen. Its actually really good, I would sooner listen to this than anything by Prince. The big hits such as 'Wishing Well' and 'If You Let Me Stay' and 'Sign Your Name' are belters, some of the best soul songs I've come across. In my opinion Old Marvin's output is rubbish compared to this. Even the album tracks were eminently listenable. Three quarters through, I was nearly convinced this was a work of genius and well deserving of five big stars, then I got to 'As Yet Untitled' maybe it should have been given a name. My suggestion for it would be a nice and snappy 'Wanky pretentious shit which spoils this album and sends it into the territory of one of the worst things I have ever had the displeasure to listen to'. I hope that sums up the horrible wet sounding noises and breathing where he was standing way to close to the microphone. Awful. Such a shame. If only he had stuck that in the bin of bad ideas, it would really would have been a top score.

Pretty dated sounding R&B, inspired by Michael Jackson. Its generally fine, just not really my thing.

Better than I thought it would be. Dude has a great voice, lyrics were pretty repetitive and boring. Very late 80's feel to it.

Never heard of this guy. It wasn't exceptional by any means but also not bad.

3/5

Not really my thing... poppy 90s music

I kind of remember the incessant radio airplay this got, and the singles are overly familiar. It was OK, but not something I would naturally gravitate to. Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆(5/10) Total reviewed : 475 Already owned : 105 Purchased : 25 To buy : 3 Nope : 342

Loved this then, love it still. “Dance Little Sister” remains the standout. Saw him in El Paso with a sweet ginger boy named Patrick who never called for a second date. Thankfully, the album has more staying power.

This album was ok, not much else to say.

"We have Michael Jackson at home", basically. It's very derivative, which might explain why I've never heard either of the names he's used. It's hard to compete for the same spotlight as the King of Pop. He even emulates the "heehees". But it's still pretty good. Great voice, great melodies, great instrumentation. Very enjoyable to listen to, overall. But there are also a couple of songs that annoyed me. For their blandness, or their repetitiveness, or whatever the fuck "As Yet Untitled" was. Still enjoyable, but you end up wishing you were listening to MJ instead.

Not a good sign when all of the songs feel like they drag on much longer than their actual times

Once upon a time, back in 1987, as a teenager still working it all out, I quite liked this. Packed with hit singles. Little did I know what was about to happen over the next 5 years when I discovered music infinitely more interesting from Seattle. Now looking back at this, I’m glad my course was changed. This is so dated. It gets 2 stars in recognition of the fact that it meant something once.

Ok

Not bad, albeit a bit on the cheesy side sometimes. Definitely a product of its time. 3/5

hasn't aged super well imo. not my favourite.

This was fun. I liked most of the songs alright, although they were a pretty mellow vibe. D'Arby's singing was good. I don't think I've ever heard any of his work before, although I had heard of him by name. Three stars.

We have Michael Jackson at home 3/5

No thank you

Vocals on If You Let Me Stay stood out. Sounded like Bruno Mars. Even though I'm not a fan of R&B this was entertaining. 3.5/5

Boring 80's pop. Imagine Prince without the funk and sex, or Michael Jackson without the Quincy Jones.

What’s special about this?

My mate bought this when it came out. I was more into thrash metal at the time, but it was still a pretty good album. Listening to it now, it's still a pretty good album

Honestly this dude could’ve been meant for greatness if he had a wider reach of influences and styles. As is, it’s pretty well composed but fits in the background of its era far too much.

Dude's vocals are pretty good Fave track: As Yet Untitled

Fairly unremarkable R&B. Gives MJ a tad. Production is a seriously mixed bag. 2.5/5

I liked it. A lot of dated songs but overall not a bad album. Reminds me a lot of a younger Michael Jackson.

Love this album. Part of my soundtrack of '87, along with Bigger and Deffer by LL Cool J. Took me back. Heard it before? ✅ Listen again? ✅ Rating out of ten? 9️⃣ Dance Little Sister is a banger and there's some great tracks on here. If You Let Me Stay, Sign Your Name, Wishing Well, I'll Never Turn My Back On You all great songs. Love it.

Introducing The Hardline According to Terence Trent D’Arby by the artist formerly known as Terence Trent D’Arby. That’s a story for another review that I’ll probably never write because, honestly, I don’t care about his name change. Sorry. I got sidetracked because Apple Music decided to introduce me to this album as Sananda Maitreya. I digress. This album swings hard, relying heavily on nostalgia as its secret weapon. I wasn’t particularly thrilled when it showed up in my feed, but it landed a few solid punches right in the gut because I’m a sucker for anything that reminds me of the decade I grew up in. Other reviews might beat this album up for its very obvious 1980s aesthetic, but I don’t care. Is it the best thing I’ve ever heard? Absolutely not. Does it deserve quite as much hate as it gets? Probably not. Terence Trent D’Arby clearly had some serious talent, and it shows in both his vocals and his musicality. I’m less convinced about his abilities as a lyricist after being subjected to “Rain,” but that’s a discussion for another time. I enjoyed this. Will I ever listen to the entire album again? Probably not. What I will do is appreciate the singles that came out of it and the fact that, for a little while, this album managed to drag me back into the 1980s and make me feel something. I’m not sure how to end this review, so I’m just going to stop writing.

I had no issues with this one. Better than expected.

I liked this. I hadn’t heard of the artist or the album before, and I didn’t know what to expect, but this was a nice surprise

Great album with a ton of variance in songwriting. D'arby is an interesting singer in that he has a bit of fragility and strain in his natural voice. It makes the emotive passages more engaging and keeps you guessing how he will style his vocal runs. It's a little mawkish at times, but that's the style.

They'll really just throw any old thing in here, huh?

Not terrible, but really not my thing either. I still remember ''Wishing Well'' and "Sign Your Name" from when they came out. I used to hate this kind of music - tacky stuff full of drum machines and synthetic sounds, songs that were so constantly playing on the radio that they became annoying out of sheer repetition... Now I can better appreciate the soul-funk vibes, the discrete blues-rock influences and Terence's sexy voice. But overall, it still sounds far too 80s (and too sirupy) for my taste. I have no interest in revisiting that particular moment in music history. I can tolerate it for the sake of this list, but that's about it. 4/10

My sister was a huge fan, so I was subjected to a lot of TTA during my teenage years. I really like his voice, but I honestly struggle to get into the rest. I recently listened to Vibrator, which is a much better album… but apparently less important. According to this list, anyway.

Приятная музыка. Да, продакшн несколько устарел, но не могу сказать, что он здесь слишком явный и раздражающий, он ровно такой, какой приятно слушать даже через 40 лет. Самое главное, что с точки зрения сонграйтинга песни сделаны профессионально. Для меня такая музыка звучит несколько однообразно, и атмосфера не совсем моя, поэтому только 3 балла, но всё же это сделано неплохо, особенно акапельная песня "As Yet Untitled". Лучшая песня: As Yet Untitled

Nogle sange var velkendte, men det er lidt for meget 80'er-fløde til mig.

Fun! D'Arby/Maitreya was someone on my list of people I wanted to listen to and I enjoyed it. Wishing Well is a banger and I remember hearing it a lot as a kid. As Yet Untitled was really lovely. I also really liked his cover of Who's Loving You.

Love it.

The album cover is of someone who takes themselves very seriously. The music sadly is from someone who does not. The 80s gravitational pull on this is phenomenal. It can’t escape it.

Really enjoyed it, so much passion

Fun and catchy. 3.5

me incomodou um pouco ter tanta coisa parecida com qualquer álbum da década de 80 ainda assim, o synth com vibe de joguinho da nintendo em wishing well é de uma nostalgia tremenda enfim, tb esperava mais desse

bem oitentista. mas eh bacaninha, hein soulzinho com bastante alma (RÁ), bem produzido e dançante demais. eh bem de boa esse!

He's channeling Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. An entertaining listen but not a standout.

This is the epitome of ’80s music, whether you love it or hate it. I personally feel like he had more potential than what was shown on this album. In fact, “As Yet Untitled” is the best track in my opinion, as it really showcases his raw talent. Aside from that, I knew “Wishing Well” and “Sign Your Name” from the extensive radio play they received, but they were never my cup of tea, even back then. Those songs, along with the R&B, touches of funk, and upbeat gospel vibes throughout the album, just weren’t really my thing. I would have preferred more of a funk influence, like what he brought to “Dance Little Sister.”

Just kinda awful.

Why?

Idk

When I was in 6th form in 1988 our common room had a CD player. We only had 2 compact discs, this album and INXS Kick. Suffice to say I grew sick of those 2 albums but now nearly 40 years later I am able to listen to it again and my my it’s great!

I enjoyed the funky uptempo songs but there was a lot of was a lot of easy listening throughout they turned me off.

The comparisons to Prince are wild. Enjoyed one song - the Smokey Robinson cover. The rest was a slog to get through.

I thought this was a Prince knockoff at first, but then I realized this guy is alright…for a Prince knockoff.

My first thought was glad I did not buy this album back in the day. Outside of the songs played constantly on the radio, the remainder of album was not great. Would not choose to listen to this again.

It was alright

Familiar w couple tracks, but not rest. His vocals are stronger when he sticks to lower range but most of album he is all over the place. Pretty 80’s-over produced

Great songs, horrible production.

this had the potential to be incredible but every song slightly overstayed its welcome. artists really need to learn how to fine-tune.

Good album 4/5

OMW I PROMISEE -Okayyyy?? The VOCALS? 1st song: saurrrr good 2nd song: If u let me sTAAAAAAAY mkayyy I listened to more than half the album and I'd say is a solid 3

Bruno sounds like him a lot. The two hits are definitely good. The rest was wallpaper. 3/5

There's a few decent tracks on here - Let's Go Forward was one of my favourites - but I'm not sure it's strong enough as a complete package. A bit torn on the vocals, sometimes I thought he sounded great, at others I really didn't vibe with it. Not sure this is one I'll revisit.

Pleasant, though dated. Maybe my patience for a very 80s sound is wearing thin at 1070-some albums. He’s a great singer, and very talented, but the 80s cheesiness is hard to overcome. Favorite: As Yet Untitled

Incredible. Such a beautifully 80s sound. Almost Prince-esque at moments.

This is the first album I've received thus far that I haven't actually heard. I'm not huge on his voice, I'm not big on the gravel that comes with his high sustains, but I can't deny the technicality. I enjoy the dated 'plinkyness' to the sounds generally, the 808s and fun synths have a pleasant vibe to them. But once that wears off, I just can't help but feel there's a lot more interesting R&B and Soul from this era that adventures more.

Nothing special but decent

The intro sounded like a mix between funk-rock and folk's political lyrics. I think it tries too hard to do a lot at once with genres, particularly with that 80s sound. That definitely makes the album an obstacle to get through despite being shorter than the previous one I had. The only song that caught my attention was the last one, which was a simple cover of "Who's Loving You" (2.5).

Sounds like a Prince copy but not as well done. The singles are not as good as I remember. The last song which is more in the style of early R&B is the best on the album.

Artiste inconnu. Quelques bon grooves, plutôt une belle voix, mais aucun morceau ne m’a vraiment marqué. Je n’y reviendrais pas. =>2/5

This one confused me. One the one hand, you can see the talent and sincerity in the songwriting. And I learned a bit more about the guy and his story, which is compelling. But the production of the era feels artificial to me, so it never really made a personal connection in the end.

This is nice. Clearly a talented vocalist. There are a couple of REALLY fantastic songs mixed into the so so remainder of the album. Dont get me wrong, I love a couple of these songs and I am sure I still have this cassette somewhere. That tells the whole story here. I bought this on a now dead format and never felt the need to buy this again. I couple of these songs popping up on a streaming platform is enough. No one needs to hear this before they die. Still nice though. 3 stars.

Best Track - "If You Let Me Stay"

Aside from Wishing Well (which still fucks, let's be clear), there was nothing must-hear on this one.

Thought it was going to be a bit tedious but was good fun. Like a shit MJ.

The singles are ridiculously great. If you let me stay, wishing well, sign your name etc. Wishing well itself is quite the stand out. cant imagine ill ever just bang on terence like. Or whatever he wants to be known as these days.

I mean he's got a decent voice. And 'Sign Your Name' is an undoubted classic. But he feels like pure marketing. In-authentic & a clear attwmpt to be Britain's Michael Jackson Gwnerous 2.5 caus of Sign Your Name

Meh

The man who now goes by Sananda Maitreya put together a pretty impressive debut album here. Pop, rock, R&B, soul, new wave, funk, it's all mixed together and it works really well. A song sounded like Lionel Richie, a song sounded like it could have been on Bad, there are a lot of recognizable musical touchpoints on this album. The secret ingredient that keeps everything from being generic is Maitreya's powerful, expressive vocals. You can fuckin' FEEL what he's saying and know he means it. Really, a truly delightful album.

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

This was all over the place. Some of the songs worked better than others, but they all suffered from the 80s production. Still, I liked this more than I thought I would.

Sooo good. Great soul record from the late 80’s.

Ugh. I didn’t like this when it came out, and it sounds far worse now. Don’t understand how this is on the list, as it actually makes me *want* to die.

Way better than I was expecting. It loses a lot of energy towards the end but still

Four bangers but otherwise incredibly weak Prince parody

Maybe not having lived through the eighties I was more open to this album than a lot of commenters. Overhated

Его имя и название альбома звучит лучше. чем его музыка

This wasn't half as terrible as I expected it to be. But even at half-terrible, it was still pretty fucking bad.

His voice is nice. I guess the production isn't as terrible as this era was capable of. And yet, I still hated this.

This was okay. Mostly in a style I don't really dig. The soulful last song was pretty good. I should probably listen to the album more than once, but didn't; thus Terence may have suffered because I'm behind in my listening and trying to catch up.

2/5 - This guy's videos always got in the way of the videos I actually wanted to watch on MTV in 87/88. I would have given him a 1 then just because he seems like a pompous ass whistling about a wishing well, but he does have a good voice, so I'll give him that.

Legalzinho

Vocally and instrumentally this was a lot of fun. A few high points early. I would certainly purchase. I thought the second to last track was a more appropriate ending point.

Pretty good album. I hear Wishing Well a little too often at work, but I still like it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It is my sincere wish that I never have to hear this album again.

I can understand some of the impulse of the Prince comparisons (multitalented black singer-songwriter-producers, some of the songs do sound in Prince’s wheelhouse) but it does feel designed to do TTD a slight, both because it’s hard to compare to Prince at the best of times and also I don’t think it’s what the music is trying to do. It feels much more built in the contemporary and from the history of soul, from TTD having pushed his voice into a Sam Cooke-esque tone to all the blue eyed soul energy across some of the songs, while adding additional flair and flavour (and still a bit of showing off because I don’t think you could do As Yet Untitled without some showing off). And all of that works pretty well for me, it has something specific and if was kinda clicking with me, I quite like it all. Shame on me for buying into the comparison machine and putting TTD down I guess.

Bien.

Standouts Seven Days

Not to Rain on your parade, but Let’s Go Forward and listen to this album.

Didn't know what to expect going into this but this was a super fun and energetic album. Neat blend of 70s funk and 90s RnB.

Michael Jackson clone

Love his voice and some of the songs are rich and full. The rest of the album is bordering on dreadful. He may have been a little too big for his britches.