Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby

It's really hard to define what this is. Is it pop? Is it soul? Is it rock? Is it all of the genres, or is it none? A real quandary. A well produced record that was probably ahead of its time in 1987, but not really my thing. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: If You Let Me Stay Date listened: 01/01/23

I dislike this guys music. Clearly MJ inspired but not bad because of it only, just feels extremely dated, basic, lacks originality. Good Singing on I'll never turn my back on you. Wishing well Chorus may be able to be used in a sample. Seven More days is actually a cool song.

Enjoyable, with a pair of recognizable songs.

He's got a great voice, but other than "Wishing Well," "Sign Your Name," and his cover of Smokey Robinson's "Who's Lovin' You," this album didn't do it for me.

The best I can say is I don’t hate it. But how this could be worthy of anyone’s bucket list escapes me.

Zeikerig

Nothing special

No. This is no Sgt. Pepper, this is no Mozart, and this is not the best of the decade. Not a huge fan of Michael Jackson but everyone would agree that he can easily blow this away. This is generic '80s pop. With zero special things in it. Hardly a must listen. Also, why didn't he just name it "The Hardline"? Isn't the unnecessary length of this album the reason he thinks it's in the level of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"? But don't get me wrong, it's decent, and it's getting a bonus star for that.

Stevie Wonder vibes. Sometimes. 3 2

I forgot to review this when I initially listened to it but ye so um

Kinda boring

Terence, ik vind je hitjes leuk, de rest... meh!

I remember owning this album back in the late 80s because I liked "Wishing Well" but I remember, too, that even though I won't go as far to say I disliked the rest of the album, I never got that into it. In the long stretch of time since then, other than seeking out and listening to "Wishing Well" once every decade or so and maybe once or twice wondering about whatever happened to him and whether he released any more music after this album, I had mostly forgotten about him. It was good to hear this album again and to follow the prompt to read up on this album and the person behind it. As I listened to this album all the way through for what must be the first time in over 30 years, my reaction is similar. After a while, most of it gets a little muddled to my ear as similar-sounding 80s pop/R&B, and talented as he is, I would've loved to have heard him find more of his own signature style. I was engaged at times but more often than not it didn't have enough going on musically and stylistically to really grab me. Some of the tracks don't come across as standouts. There is nothing wrong with them per se, but if you had played for me the ones I didn't recall, the best guess I would've come up with is maybe the decade in which it was recorded but not the artist's name. I had not remembered, either, that he not only wrote all the songs except the Jackie Wilson cover and sings them all, but he plays several instruments too. Very impressive. I might go seek out the music he's released since then. Curious about it. Maybe he developed more of his own voice and style as he grew.

It's ok.

There's no doubt about the voice, but let's be honest: this was a diabetes inducing affair even when it came out, let alone now in old age (and it hasn't aged well).

Pas très inspirant. Il y a bien 2 hit sur cet album qui sortent un peu de ce qu’on entend habituellement et ça, c’est très bien. Le reste sonne comme quelqu’un qui cherche à faire ses preuves en se montrant excessif.

On n'est vraiment pas dans mon bag ici, donc gros effort d'ouverture pour cette écoute. Finalement c'est pas si pire. L'époque fait un peu mal à la production par moment, mais on fini par passer par dessus. Pas mal certain d'avoir déjà entendu Wishing Well qui est le plus gros hit de l'album et probablement aussi Dance Little Sister et Sign Your Name. On a une belle intensité dans la voix sur tout l'album. Ce n'est définitivement pas l'album le plus important depuis Sgt. Pepper comme il le prétendait 🤣. Je ne crois pas que ça a rien révolutionné, mais ça cadrait bien dans ce qui se faisait à sa sortie. Donc pas une écoute essentielle, mais tout de même intéressante pour ceux qui s'intéresse aux succès des différentes décennies.

the beginning is neat but it gets boring fast 2.5

Not for me: Soul music done well against dated instrumentation. The artist seems more interesting historically than on this record.

Hi- Wishing Well, Sign Your Name I was legitimately excited to hear the rest of this album, because Wishing Well and Sign Your Name are such influential tracks, I was hoping to hear more of this otherworldly groovy sound...instead what we got was a mishmash of really generic R&B and soul, that while competent, didn't offer anything unique like the two aforementioned hits. I'd rate this higher if more tracks pushed the envelope, but they just didn't and I'm disappointed in that.

Not for me.

2 stars is generous. some songs were way too long.

Really didn't grab me.

føler den ikke rigtigt

Poprock, singer/songwriter, Prince-agtigt

Soul, Pop Kram. Teilweise wie Micheal Jackson. Bestimmt wichtig für das Genre, aber nicht mein Ding. Habs vorher ausgemacht.

Definitely has an 80's sound. It was okay, but not my favorite genre of music. 1 recognized song

JoJowa referencja pelna geba, ale w stylu soulowego r&b, brak opisu, darby multiinstrumentalista jednego krazka i to debiutanckiwgo, opening na plejke

This isn't all that great. Even the most played songs aren't good - not sure how they get tens of millions plays. 4/10.

There was some decent songs but didn't grab me.

I try to be open minded with all of these, but I’ve never loved R&B and the more I hear it, the less I get it or enjoy it. The instrumentation in this album sounds very simplistic, the compositions sound underwhelming, and not one song stood out to me. The singing in it was great, but that’s not the only thing a good album needs in my book. Benefit of the doubt from me not getting R&B plus good singing take this from a 1 to a 2

I like the voice and the clear tone. I prefer a little more rock and that is my opinion so I can't give it the high rating people might think this deserves. It really is good though

Couple of good songs

"If You All Get to Heaven" – 5:17 - Repetitive, with shrill vocalizing and a solid 80s vibe. "If You Let Me Stay" – 3:14 - More of D'Arby trying to sound like Michael Jackson and instead sounding like a forgettable movie soundtrack. Why do I have to hear this before I die? This album was weaksauce. "Wishing Well" (D'Arby, Sean Oliver) – 3:30 - Not terrible for 80s pop. "I'll Never Turn My Back on You (Father's Words)" – 3:37 - You want to hear a guy talk about dads in a falsetto? This is the mediocre song for you. "Dance Little Sister" – 3:55 - A little funky sax, and yet, it sounds to me like REALLY trying to be Michael Jackson again... or still... whatever. Meh. "Seven More Days" – 4:32 - Pretty but melancholy piano intro... oh, wait, no. That's the YouTube commercial. This is a drum machine and more shrill yet gravelly vocals about... you know, I don't even care what. I'm skipping ahead. "Let's Go Forward" – 5:32 - Digital wind sounds, a click track, some synth... this is what it would sound like if Terence was in my 8th grade electronic music class. "Rain" – 2:58 - I liked the syncopated beat until the synth clavas, chimes, and Terence Trent D'Arby joined in. "Sign Your Name" – 4:37 - One of the better songs on a mediocre album. It's no wonder this was the single. "As Yet Untitled" – 5:33 - Opening vocal harmonies are pretty. So far acapella... not bad, a little melancholy again. Nice harmonies again just as it was starting to bore me, and then back to the shrill and gravelly. "Who's Loving You" (William "Smokey" Robinson) – 4:24 - High hopes for a strong finish... and, yeah, it's a Smokey Robinson tune adequately performed. Not enough to save the album though.

didn't enjoy at all

full of energy but it just sounds like a musical and that isn't a good thing for me.

This 80s soul/funk rock just didn't do it at all for me. Maybe it was a bit too grounded for that 80s era Prince style albums? Cause it made me think of a really grounded, grittier Prince album which isn't what I like or enjoy about Prince. Wasn't particularly bad, just nothing here drew me in or engaged me at all.

Kinda Michael Jackson with not as much unique delivery? One or two fun songs but I had a hard time recognizing the genius he claimed, or at least the notability reviewers do.

Big voice but all a bit smooth and very 80s production

It's like the soundtrack for an 80s-90s movie. I mean it's very cool and well produced music but it just comes out as kind of generic.

Meh

Meh.

This is a hard album for me to rate. If I'm rating it on talent and production, it scores very well. If I'm rating it on how much I enjoyed it, it rates very poorly. To be consistent, I have to go with overall enjoyment. Sorry Terence - this isn't my thing.

Kasari-inho iski taas välittömästi päälle, kun pisti levyn soimaan. Sielukasta voitelumusaa, muttei edes kovin kummoista sellaista. Tulis ees kunnon George Michaelia!

I was keen to hear this since I could stomach the radio hits I'd heard: Dance Little Sister & Sign your Name. I liked some of the more rhythmic/bluesier songs like the opening track & Seven More Days, but overall the production is too syrupy for me and the other songs remind me of bad 80s radio.

Loved the beats, had the typical 80s feel. Hard to pull out the good musicality with some of the 80s distractions.

get out of here

Pretty good

Eh

Se salvó al final de una estrepitosa calificación

Odd. Not my bag.

um no

Dos, tirandole a tres estrellas...

Not my cup of tea, really.

meh, not soooo bad but really not crazy

ok ig . can listen again but not intentionally. slow chill vibes

It was fine but not for me. Some songs dragged on

Det här var inget vidare

Nah

Apart from "As Yet Untitled", another generic, boring 80s soul album with above average vocals, but not much else going for it.

I had notes written for this but I forgot to save. This isn’t worth recalling because I didn’t get much from this album. Just dated musically and this guy just feels like MJ from Temu.

Did not like. Recognized one song but it was too 80s r&b

Budget Michael Jackson meets a 'fun' church. The deeper I go the more (irrationality?) annoyed I become. I hate it, I thought I'd like it. Perhaps if it had been a part of my youth I'd be more forgiving.

what the hell is going on

Another one of the albums that seem to be on this list because of one good song.

This was shit,i think

No thanks

man this dude must have been super charismatic

Third rate Stevie Wonder imitation without the charisma, catchy songs or singing ability. Terrible.

This is one of those projects that I feel should have clicked with me on a much better level all around but ended up pissing me off and becoming one of the most frustrating listens I have heard in some time. Terence Trent D'Arby, or Sananda Maitreya in today's day and age, is an artist who seemingly appeared out of nowhere near the end of the 80s and ended up taking airwaves over like storm and I don't think there was any valid reason for that happening. Terence takes so much from his inspirations and instead of creating something new with it, he blends it up and repackages it nearly exactly the same. Whether it be the clear Michael Jackson influence, real hit and miss swings towards emotional beats, or even just not being entertaining enough to sustain a 47 minute album on their own, it is safe to say that Terence absolutely struggled to keep any sort of attention from myself. The instrumentation didn't help either as it felt so over the top and cheesy with the one exception being Sign Your Name, but even then that song had no idea what to do other than repeat the chorus an absurd amount of times. I quite frankly did not enjoy this project and was left with quite a bitter taste in my mouth by the end because people think this shit is worth hearing before you die? Seriously?

In a nutshell: synth soul. Music writer Darryl Easlea said Introducing... was "...a soundtrack to the turning point when the 80s turned from austerity to prosperity..." I think I can see that too. Sananda (formerly Terence) captured the vibe of the 80s here with his voice, synth keys and sax use. It shows its age. Vocally, he has the blend of progressive soul, Gospel and sophisti-pop. Talented, definitely. But you have to admit, he's trying too hard to be a hybrid of Otis Redding and Prince. It suffers the same affliction as Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida: the production and popularity of a single (ie Wishing Well) distracts you from the mediocre tracks on the album. Overall: 2/10

pass

More mediocre British music from the 80s or 90s that you've probably never heard of. And for good reason! I hated this album. The lyrics in Rain are so bad it's laughable. Sign Your Name seems to be the big hit, and wow, what a boring song! If they weren't British, do you think this would be on the list? I doubt it

I'm getting tired of this 80's silliness. At least I'm getting it out of the way. My least favorite brand of music (see rating for Sade, just like her this is a talented musician making music I hate.) It's like more boring Michael Jackson who is already one of my least favorite artists. No thank you. This is one of the first albums I just couldn't get through. I had no interest. I can't imagine the context were I give it another shot. It's a little rude but it has to be 1 star

Ugh - must be up there with Simply Red for the worst of 80s excess. Even hair metal was less ridiculous than this.

Boring MOR rock.

I fucking hate the 80s.

This sounds dated and I find the songs to be kind of annoying at times. He has a good voice but this album is not one I'll be returning to. 3/10

Too much was made of this guy.

Did this website just deadname poor Sananda Maitreya? Cancelled. Sorry fellas. I'd like to introduce you to my "hardline" which is punching you in the computer head for deadnaming my boy(?). Although, how do you abandon Terence Trent D'Arby as a handle? That shit is unreal. I suppose if you're going for an "approachable" vibe, maybe it's best you don't sound like the petulant son of a powerful 1750s ivory hunter. This guy can sing. Technical chops alone do not an enjoyable experience make. This is dull, agreeable, casino night music. R & B ain't for me dawg. I'm sorry. Not everything is for everybody and any of the smooth, R & B sequences fell on very bored/irritated ears. God, even the a capella song was cringeworthy. Mostly miserable experience, but I can recognize that this guy would certainly receive 5 star reviews from the 58 year old couples at rural Canadian bingo halls. Instead of love, lets go forward with the cancellation of my membership of the TTD Fan Legion. Yes, I would like to continue. Yes I'm sure. Yes, delete my custom TTD avatar INCLUDING customizable skins & accessories. Wait, no refunds?? I spent thousands on that sequined trilby. Probably one of the most brutal auctions I've been a part of on on D'arbysArmy.org. Thrill of the chase you know? I can still see how that puppy glimmered the first time in the virtual world while frantically trying to mute "Sign Your Name." I'll see you bastards in court. 1-1.5 HIGHLIGHTS: Life ain't all peaches and cream, youngster. Sometimes it's garbage and tomato juice.

Sad to hear that Sananda Maitreya killed this man

Just cheesy 80s slop. I'm actually quite surprised that the book doesn't have more albums like this, but that doesn't make this one any less bad. You still have everything that made me think I hated an entire decade of music for ages; poorly used drum machines, unnecessary synths, and that absolutely god awful SAW style production. Start to finish this is generic, forgettable, and annoying. Just commercial slop that for some reason seemed to hit rock bottom around the late 80s.

Can’t hear past the 80s

hideous

Just no

(25/100)

Not for me. I’ve never liked 80s instrument effects and production. I find it very cheesy and gimmicky. This album is very cheesy and gimmicky. Which I guess 80s was the beginning of the digital era so it’s all new sounds but there’s a successful, timeless way to do it, this album is absolutely not it. I will not ever listen to this album again to be completely honest. Compositionally, I didn’t find this album interesting, it also didn’t feel serious or genuine? Also, what’s with the off-key squelchy vocals? 1/5

Minge music

1. heaven -0 2. ztay - 0 3. uuell - 0 4. Turn - 1 5. Dance -0 6. Seven - 1 7. Forward -1 8.rain - 1 9. Name - 0 10. Untitled -1.5 11. Loving -1 ONLY 1 DECENT ZONG , UUTF

Apart from the one song I had heard before, as a kid, nothing really sparked my interest...

Everyone is going to have music that is anathema to them and I think that’s what I’ve stumbled across here. I just can’t abide by it. I may well have heard Hardline According to… when I was younger because it makes me feel like a bored child listening to another generation’s music. Some elements are weirdly dated, kind of kooky 80s pop soul, other moments are a little bit more probing, serious and quite strained. Neither of these modes work together. None of it clicks in my head.

I get so bored

Dislike.

Most everyone of a certain age is going to remember "Wishing Well," if nothing else from Introducing The Hardline According To... That song never particularly struck me as great even at the height of its popularity, but most of the rest of this record is nearly unlistenable to my ears because it's trying so hard to be appealing. The saccharine gloss makes it genuinely painful to sit through — there are too many cringe moments to catalogue — not my thing doesn't even begin to cover it.

Soul music having aged badly, sounding very 80s with lots of tinny synths, sometimes shrill vocals, a percussive guitar, a tight bass line and sharp horn stabs.

Nup, don't like it 1.5/5

fake michael jackson

Not for me

Dudes got pipes but this is some corny 80s stuff

Crap 80s soul

Do not like R&B

С этим альбомом я чувствую, как сильно я ЗАЕБАЛСЯ от 1001. Ну музон и музон, отыграл на фоне, пока я ел свой ужин, в ожидании песни, от которой, согласно первому ревью, сносит крышу мужчинам, женщинам, и всем где-то между. Но у меня крышу не снесло, и теперь я думаю, может я и не человек вовсе, а *не очень лардж* ллм с иллюзией памяти и проч. Мне было кринжово. От песен, от звука, от всего. Лучшая песня - As Yet Untitled.

Not a fan. Repetitive.

Not for me.

Not great. Feel like I'm in a mall or movie from the 80s. I don't understand what makes this special/interesting/good...???? Couldn't get through this, had to start skipping through the tracks.

I remember the song "Wishing Well" from this album from whenever it came out and even as a kid thought it was cheesy. And time did not de-cheese it. Had a hard time finding anything about this record that warranted its inclusion on this list.

Quick one here cos I’m on holiday with little time. Ex-wife like TTD so what do you expect from me? Even allowing for that hate i it with a passion 1/5 11/5/25

Very strange to get an album from a one-hit wonder, and one whose hit wasn't that big anyway (at least over here in Europe, I think). Either way, this sounds so mid-80's in all the worst ways, very tacky. Key tracks: Wishing Well

Such a boring attempt at Michael Jackson-style pop album. Couldn't finish. There's just nothing to grab onto. "Rain" is laughably bad.

bagger van een zelfverklaarde god... hij was alleszins niet de god van de tijd, want de tand des tijds heeft lelijk huisgehouden...

Wishing Well sucks and the rest was worse. Epitome of 80s crap Pop.

Who is this targeted towards? It's not bad per say, but it's definitely not good. Sounds like something that is on an easy listening station or in the background at your dentist's office. I don't understand the appeal of music like this. It's just innocuous and inoffensive noise. It could be on in the background while there's chaos all around and it wouldn't elevate the stress of the situation. Maybe that's the point? I also get the feeling that the lead singer is one of those that wears weird ass shit and acts all hard on stage while playing the most vanilla garbage (side note, I googled him. Yep, his outfits are ridiculous and totally not matched to how bland this music is). Kind of like a soft Lenny Kravitz (who is basically the same thing with a mildly harder edge). I don't get it. 1/5, but in the most polite way possible because being angry about music this soft seems profane.

it's alright, not impressed so far

Horrible person horrible music horrible singing

I liked Wishing Well I think. Also is he the guy from adventures in babysitting

I have heard some of these songs on the radio, but didn't really care for them then, and definitely didn't care about them now.

I skipped around a lot. Even Wishing Well, which I remembered wasn't all that great. Light pop R&B, nothing special to me.

Didn’t bother to listen. Didn’t like it 40 years ago, no desire to listen now.

Didn't expect to like it but didn't expect to hate it this much. Doesn't even have his one good song, "Wishing Well."

It was shit then, and it’s still shit now. One star for consistency

This kinda sounds like 90s Prince but more boring.

Med på at hans stemme er imponerende men sys ikke rent faktisk det lyder godt -- kedelig produktion, og ikke rigtig nogen bangers

nah bro, disney ass shit

This is 80s trash

It was very old sounding, mid

Kirkland brand Motown?

Didn’t like. Some nice songs but nothing particularly special

Maybe it's not that bad but I can't stand it. Was very hard to finish.

I like "Sign Your Name". I blame nostalgia, but it's a nice, modest tune. The rest of this, including Wishing Well - the other one I had known - is not good. At all. The insane Sgt. Pepper nonsense and the Uuhh, I dreamt of a new name: SANANDA (Chakra & Crystal Healing, Orgone Towers) does not help. Embarassing.

We already had enough Michael Jackson albums on this list without adding in pound shop Michael Jackson knockoffs.

Not my style at all.

💤

Boring

Bruh, skip

Did not like it in '87 - still don't like it in 2024. He looks too Milli-Vanilli in Wishing Well.

I did not like this at all. I don’t like Prince and I don’t like MJ, this album felt like mixture of both. It’s was like stepping on dog shit and cleaning it off to only step on more. 2/10

It’s like listening to a cheap knock off version of Prince. I’m sure he’s very talented, but I don’t hear anything original or why it was so celebrated in the UK on release. Pass. Listen again: no Purchase for my collection: no Favourite Song: didn’t pay attention

Every song sounds like the ending of Ghostbusters 2 where they're inside the Statue of Liberty. Not a fan.

If this guy was half as good as he thinks he is he'd be the best artist of all time. This is over the top in the wrong ways and missing any substance. The amount of artists who are miles ahead of him who he is ripping off is wild. The song Let's Go Forward felt like it was 45 minutes.

I tried to find something I liked about this but I couldn't. The music sounds like karaoke music and I don't think the vocals are anything special. I feel like there is better music before and after this in which the music just has more soul, more funk.

Not for me. 1/5

Whoo boy, what to say about this one? Vocally, it's impressive. Terence goes out of his way to belt almost every note, aside from a few tracks where it goes, stylistically, more R&B. It wears on you after a while. The production is that late 80s/early 90s sound that I just never got in to, so another mark against it. I think this might escape my graveyard if it was shorter, and if the songs cut off after a little while, but it just wants to show off so. badly.

No dance music will ever be good for me

Sappy, poppy soul. Not my thing at all. Whatever year this was made, I would imagine it sounds very much like the type of record that was being made that year.

If the most deluded person you knew made an album it would sound like this. This is a self-serious Prince/MJ knockoff who just cannot avoid the cartoonist and ridiculous aspects of the genre. Every single goofy aspect of funk/soul/rock in the 80's slapped together. I do not understand why this is on this list of classic albums.

Hard one star. This dude works really hard and it's still crazy boring. Despite his claims, this is no Sgt. Peppers. This just sucks.

Found on Wikipedia: 'In 2012, journalist Daryl Easlea said the album was crystallized as Trent's moment, "a soundtrack to the turning point when the 80s turned from austerity to prosperity. It's as central to that decade as the much-seen image of the city trader waving his wad of banknotes to the camera. It remains one big, infectiously glorious record."' If this is the sort of thing this album evokes to "music experts" decades later after its release, then it fully deserves the one-star grade I would have given it even if I had not read that ridiculous comment. Wave your wad of banknotes someplace else. The production values of this LP have aged horribly, even if you follow the standards of commercial music during the eighties. Worse, Terence Trent D'Arby are extrememly grating for the most part. So, next, please. Number of albums left to review: 526 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 227 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 109 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 139 (including this one)

Sounds pretty well put together and he has a good voice. Just not for me. Really wasn't enjoying it by the end. 1 seems harsh, but there's no way I would be going back to this

No 1/5

i hated it. 80s leisure, exposure, thoughtlessness. it was bad.

What the fuck was that

did not care for this, not much of a pop fan

Horseshit!

Lost me at the first MJ hee-hee

This was the first big miss for me. I honestly did not enjoy any aspect of it. I'm sorry to anyone who has positive feelings about this album, but it just did nothing for me. I listened to it all the way through with good headphones, but it took a lot of willpower to make it to the end.

Didn’t care for this album.

Maybe this album is a victim of mood listening to it but like stfu Terence, she said gtfo.

I don't see what's so special save for wishing well. As an album it's ok I guess

No me gustó

This album is a deterrent by nectar- a pretty sweet voice (except for the high screams he misses), but generally awful songs.

Neee 1

Pure garbage

1987: Wishing Well

me ripped off my pants today in public

Good