No Runaway Needed (Runaway Horses - Belinda Carlisle)

Member Name: bilbob20

Product:	Runaway Horses - Belinda Carlisle
Date:	19/06/08 (105 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The tracks are mostly brilliant

Disadvantages: Valentine is a bit weak

Every now and then, I dust this album down and give it a play again. The third album of her solo career, Belinda had already enjoyed a hugely successful spurt in 1988 lead off by the classic Heaven Is A Place On Earth. Whilst she's never repeated the success of her only UK number 1, Runaway Horses is a far more solid album.

Album opener Leave A Light On sets the mood perfectly. Its a summery rock ballad with an upbeat take on death. "Darling leave a light on for me, I'll be there before you close the door, to give you all the love that you need" growls Belinda in her trademark gravelly voice. Leave A Light On was her first UK single from the album, and took her into back into the Top 10.

The slightly less successful follow up single Runaway Horses takes the trophy as title track. Opening with an Eastern-y wisp of music, an acoustic guitar plays backdrop to the gentle verses and belt-out chorus. Its strength in numbers, as the backing vocalists chime in for the chorus. I dont really know what Runaway Horses has to do with a song about a guy breaking down Belinda's barriers, but who am I to question it?

The poppiest track on the album is Summer Rain, another of the album's singles. The song touches on the subject of a partner going away and whilst they are waiting for the train, the pair dance in the summer rain. Belinda's voice comes to life in this one, and she has since said that its the hardest song she sang in her solo career.

Vision Of You is a gentle sad song with equally haunting vocals. A subtle timber sound in the back of the chorus adds a dramatic edge making the song less underwhelming. This was another of the 6 singles released from the album, but failed to set the charts alight.

La Luna is the most out of place song on the album, and yet it works. It creates an illusion of Parisian magic, as Belinda muses about a night of passion on the harbour. There is also a touch of the Latino about the song, with a good old handclapping chorus. Try not to sway at the line "Swaying in a dance" - its harder than you think after a few listens.

The rockiest track on the album is We Want The Same Thing. Released under a dancier guise with alternative lyrics, this is the original version. Belinda gamely keeps up with the fast paced verses and there is another of her trademark soft rock chorus' for the listener to sing along to.

The album's finest moment comes at the excellent Deep Deep Ocean. Belinda's obsession with all things element finally makes its way into the title of one of her tracks. Her voice is sensational, especially during the bridge hooks that lead into the chorus. My favourite moment in the album is when she gets to the mid-bridge and rails out the lyrics "Whats it gonna take, whats it gonna be, when you gonna break, and open up with me" with the drums getting subtly bigger in the background.

Valentine is the drabbest of the collection. Its one of those turgid rock ballads you might expect on a T'Pau greatest hits. Belinda's very good at them, but when the rest of the material on the album defies the genre, its hard to see how this one made the cut. Still, she has a great nack for setting up the imagery in your head in her songs.

Whatever It Takes is a great lighters in the air pop moment. Yet again, if you close your eyes, it sets quite a vivid image. "I've seen the rain fall down and wash away a town" is the opening lyrics, which creates perfectly where the song goes after that. Another soaring bridge takes the song out of the ordinary.

Final track Shades Of Michaelangelo is just Belinda sitting in a room with an acoustic set. "I frame colours of passion against a fading sky" is a perfect indictment of the lyrical content of the song, and whilst its not a big soaring number like the rest, its full of heartbreak.

Belinda Carlisle's voice is a sometimes hit and miss affair. Her throaty croak doesn't always hit the right notes. But on her finest album, Runaway Horses, the songs call for the rawness that her voice allows. This album spawned 6 singles, which is no mean feat considering there is only 10 tracks on the album. The problem for the A&R people was probably picking the singles, as nearly every track is worthy. Whilst Belinda has released a further 4 solo albums since, she has never enjoyed much success in the UK or America again. Various re-unions with her original band Go-go's have kept her profile up, but again she hasn't endured much success with them either.

Go'go's band member Charlotte Caffey contributes some of the lyrical content to this album, whilst Belinda's longtime collaborator Rick Nowells is back on production duties. The lyrics all seem to be about empowerment and passion, something that Belinda exudes very well through her unusual voice and her flame-haired looks. A moment of irony has been pointed out though as initial pressings of this album actually had a message about saving the environment and turning the lights out; whats the title of track 1 again?

The full track list is: Leave A Light On, Runaway Horses, Summer Rain, Vision Of You, La Luna, We Want The Same Thing, Deep Deep Ocean, Valentine, Whatever It Takes, Shades Of Michaelangelo. The album is available on CD, and you can usually find the vinyl in second hand record vinyl shops or ebay. There is also a DVD available which captures Belinda's 1990 "Runaway" tour.

Summary: A brilliant album from an artist whose career has gone awry since