The Poor Man's Bros (The Very Best Of - Brother Beyond)

Member Name: benlepensive

Product:	The Very Best Of - Brother Beyond
Date:	18/07/09 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: the harder I try

Disadvantages: dated

Brother Beyond are one of those forgotten boy bands from the eighties. This album gathers some of their bigger hits and lets those memories come flooding back.

Who are they:

Teen marketed boy group, produced by Stock Aitken and Waterman. They had cheerful upbeat pop songs.

Highlights:

'The Harder I Try' is the opening song and is their biggest hit single. It has a really brisk drum beat and some gloriously camp vocals from lead singer Nathan. The chorus is hooky, but towards the end of the song it does tend to repeat the chorus over and over and could have been trimmed by about thirty seconds.

On a similar tip, 'He Aint No Competition' is another fruity pop fest with a bright and alert sounding chorus. The vocals sound processed, but no less so than Jason Donovan at the time.

I quite enjoy 'Can You Keep A Secret' which has an addictive chorus and a wonderful uplifting melody. It was a hit for them, but should have done better. It is the kind of song which would work well in an eighties disco alongside Sonia and Sinitta.

I am less fond of 'When Will I See You Again' which is too bleak and fails to ignite the senses. I was also disappointed that the rest of the group are not given the opportunity to sing more. Nathan's vocals dominate the recording and though he sings well, you get the feeling a Take That approach of vocal sharing would have added more depth.

The package is completed by some semi arty cover artwork, though it is nothing to get excited over. I recommend downloading the lead singles, the rest follows suit with a mix of pop and ballads, but it will not leave a lasting impression

Summary: poppy