I was surprised to see that Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Read My Lips didn’t get particularly positive critical reception upon its release. If it was released now, it would definitely get a better response. And it got me wondering if any other albums were rather unfairly judged because of the time in which they were released.
I don’t know about critically but I feel Gloria Estefan’s Gloria! album would have sold better (and the singles done better) if she hadn’t dropped it 6 months before Believe. Tina Turner and Diana Ross both got top tens when trying to emulate Cher’s success (let’s not mention Belinda Carlisle’s attempt) and I reckon Gloria could have down the same given aging pop diva does dance became in vogue. Sorry conscious the thread is more on critically acclaimed!
Would it tho. Stunning singles, but the rest of the album is a cold clunky mess. I'd say that Trip would be the most lauded one were it released a couple of years later.
I like Read My Lips and agree that it is a bit clunky, but I do think it probably would be better received nowadays. I'm kind of surprised that it hasn't received any retroactive revision. Also, the acoustic version of By Chance is miles better than the album version:
Born To Die and Paradise were trashed by half of the publications at the time but they would be reviewed much better now I believe.
Hilary Duff's underrated magnum opus Dignity, what an album!! I still remember being twelve years old and buying it from Target. (A PERFORMANCE!!) I believe it's aged quite well (it sounds current), and if it had been released a year or two later (coinciding with the resurgence of Dance Pop) it would have fared better commercially. Such a shame Stranger didn't take off, because Gypsy Woman and Outside of You deserved the single treatment. And I still watch the Dignity Tour on YouTube all the time (because we know she'll never tour again). Dignity really set a great tone for what Hilary's music career could have been. If she continued on post Reach Out/Holiday/Any Other Day, I think she would have continued to make great sassy Pop Electronica music. Unlikely she'd meet the commercial success she had 2003 - 2005, but she'd still have a strong following. Honourable mentions: Rachel Stevens - Come and Get It. Impossible Princess - Kylie Minogue. Britney Spears - Blackout.
Okay so Spirit Of Eden got some nice reviews in corners of the music press in September 1988, but it would have been a lot more commercially successful in the 00s. #19 and a month on the Top 75 was criminal.
