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<\/p>\nFor this installment of \u201cHannah and Matt on Music,\u201d we wanted to review albums that feature the one-hit wonders of forgotten artists.<\/p>\n
Matt\u2019s Pick: \u201cWord of Mouth\u201d by Toni Basil (The hit in question: \u201cMickey\u201d)
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Matt\u2019s Take: When Hannah suggested this theme, I immediately knew that I wanted to go with Toni Basil\u2019s album that features the song \u201cMickey\u201d since it is one of my favorite pop songs. The infectiously optimistic track with an unreal hook, eccentric vocals, and a very 80\u2019s music video. What more do you need out of a pop track? With Basil delivering the goods on \u201cMickey,\u201d I had a great feeling about the rest of her 1981 debut album! Despite Basil laying on the quirky factor thick, something that I am admittedly a sucker for, this album fell flat on its face for me. The US version very smartly has \u201cMickey\u201d as the album opener, the UK release oddly has it halfway through the album, which lends the album to have an engaging start that brings the listener in wanting more. What follows is a cavalcade of uninteresting covers (\u201cMickey\u201d itself is surprisingly a revised cover of a 1979 track \u201cKitty\u201d by Racey), non-memorable 80\u2019s goofiness, and uninspired beats.. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I still respect Toni Basil for having a standout style and clear talent, especially since she co-directed one of my favorite music videos with the video for Talking Heads\u2019 \u201cOnce in a Lifetime,\u201d but this album really didn\u2019t do much for me at all. I will sadly forget this album tomorrow. But hey, we\u2019ll always have \u201cMickey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three Standout Tracks: \u201cMickey,\u201d \u201cNobody\u201d and \u201cTime After Time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overall Score: 4.6\/10<\/p>\n
Hannah\u2019s Take: Toni Basil\u2019s \u201cMickey\u201d is a timeless classic, a true product of the 80\u2019s that everyone knows and loves. It\u2019s so much of a one-hit wonder that I never even thought it might be part of a larger album. While I\u2019m all for the badass women of the 80\u2019s, I\u2019ve gotta say, this album was a flop for me. \u201cWord of Mouth\u201d truly is something that could only have existed during a decade where people walked around with hair twice the size of their skulls. Like Matt said, it\u2019s sort of forgettable. Tracks like \u201cShoppin\u2019 from A to Z\u201d and \u201cRock On\u201d blend into the 80\u2019s pop genre, just not in a great way. The album as a whole is way too cheesy for me. This isn\u2019t to say that \u201cMickey\u201d is the only true gem from the album, \u201cYou Gotta Problem\u201d hits my synth sweet spot, and I love it. But it just really isn\u2019t any different than most of the pop music you\u2019d hear on the radio. She didn\u2019t take any real risks outside of the peppy vocals you hear throughout \u201cMickey.\u201d While I wasn\u2019t alive during the 80\u2019s, the majority of my favorite artists reached peak popularity during that time, and what they all have in common is calculated, consistent risks throughout their discography. Toni Basil has created an album that is a caricature of the 1980\u2019s: larger than life, unapologetically upbeat, but somehow easily tucked away into our memories as well.<\/p>\n
Three Standout Tracks: \u201cMickey,\u201d \u201cYou Gotta Problem,\u201d and \u201cSpace Girls\u201d<\/p>\n
Overall Score: 4.2\/10<\/p>\n
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Hannah\u2019s Pick: \u201cI Don\u2019t Speak the Language\u201d by Matthew Wilder (The hit in question: \u201cBreak My Stride)<\/p>\n
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Matt\u2019s Take: This might be my most cynical review yet for this publication, so be warned. *HEAVY SIGH* Oh, where to start with Matthew Wilder\u2019s stroke of genius \u201cI Don\u2019t Speak the Language?\u201d Let\u2019s just start with the hit of the album \u201cBreak My Stride.\u201d It ain\u2019t bad. It\u2019s a fun little track that definitely acts like an earworm. It gets the job done. I enjoy re-visiting this album whenever it is played on the typical 80\u2019s hits stations on the radio. There, I said something nice about the album, can I leave now? You want more? Really? UGH, fine. UHHH, where do I go from here? OOOH, I know! I have another good thing to say about this album! \u201cWorld Of The Rich And Famous\u201d ain\u2019t too shabby. Two nice things about the album, surely I should be free to leave now? THREE GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS ALBUM? YOU WANT ME TO GIVE THREE GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS ALBUM? OK OK! The last good thing about this album is that it is mercifully short, just like my review.<\/p>\n
Three Standout Tracks: \u201cBreak My Stride,\u201d \u201cWorld Of The Rich And Famous\u201d and that\u2019s it\u2026<\/p>\n
Overall Score: 2\/10<\/p>\n
Hannah\u2019s Take: I\u2019m a huge fan of \u201cBreak My Stride.\u201d Love it. An 80\u2019s classic. Lighthearted and fun to dance to. The rest of the album? Intensely, tragically, unfortunately bad. Admittedly, I had never listened to the rest of the album before we decided on this theme. I am very disappointed with how much of a flop the album as a whole is. How could you start with something as electric as \u201cBreak My Stride,\u201d and mess it all up? Don\u2019t get me wrong, I know the songwriting process is insanely time-consuming, and not every song will be a hit. Perhaps Mr. Wilder used all of his creative energy in producing that first track and there was none left to spare for the rest of the album. There\u2019s songs I can tolerate from the rest of the record. \u201cI Don\u2019t Speak The Language,\u201d the title track, ain\u2019t that bad! Each song has an undeniable 80\u2019s energy that I love to see, regardless of how cheesy it is. To put it as nicely as I possibly can: it could have been a lot worse. But it really could have been so much better, too. It\u2019s no surprise to me that Matthew Wilder fell off when he attempted to release a second album a year later. He tried! And here at Matt and Hannah on Music, we do award points for effort.<\/p>\n
Three Standout Tracks: \u201cBreak My Stride,\u201d \u201cI Don\u2019t Speak The Language,\u201d and \u201cI Was There.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overall Score: 3\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For this installment of \u201cHannah and Matt on Music,\u201d we wanted to review albums that feature the one-hit wonders of forgotten artists. Matt\u2019s Pick: \u201cWord of Mouth\u201d by Toni Basil (The hit in question: \u201cMickey\u201d) Matt\u2019s Take: When Hannah suggested this theme, I immediately knew that I wanted to go with Toni Basil\u2019s album that …