by David Jeffries
The opener of Where Our Love Grows, Swing Out Sister's eighth proper studio album, will knock out fans of the group's perfectly huge and swanky production. &Love Won't Let You Down& is a brassy stunner and a great way to high kick the door open, but it gives way to the lesser title track, a sweet number but nothing approaching a single. That's the problem for outsiders looking for another &Breakout,& and it's been the problem for a while. So why is this stuck-in-a-rut band so beloved? It's the structure of the songs -- grand and warm with winks and giggles from the string and horn sections -- and Corinne Drewery's lovely and powerful voice, as bright here as it ever was. It's a delightful combination and almost enough to carry the listener through the album's low points. The Brazilian-flavored &Caipirinha& is a pointless &ba-ba-ba-bu-da& number that sounds like the band parodying itself, and the reprise of &Where Our Love Grows& stuck in the middle of the album is an instant skip. Luckily, the album's second half makes up for some of it with the snappy &Let the Stars Shine& and &Happy Ending,& which has some twists and turns you'll want to stick with. There's a whole lot of references to time lost, regrets, and other wistful reflections, and the lyrics just hang on, slipping into cliché too often and in dire need of a Hal David touch. Of course, nobody does style over substance better than Swing Out Sister, Where Our Love Grows being a great example. If it's a sunny, breezy day and you're in bubbly love, go ahead. Just don't expect to remember you own a copy come fall.