Review: “World” by D:Ream (CD, 1995)

Today’s POP RESCUE is the second album from dance act D:Ream, called World. It is also the first album that does not feature (the now Professor) Brian Cox, and was primarily just Peter Cunnah. Will it Party Up The World, or will you want to be Shot with love? Let’s find out…

D:Ream - World (1995) album — D:Ream’s second album, World from 1995.

The album opens with The Power (Of All The Love In The World), which has hi-NRG introduction with lots of pounding synths, dance vocals courtesy of TJ Davis, and beats, before Peter’s vocals kick in. Whilst the verses here aren’t particularly catchy, the chorus and the mid-section are, and they are really strong. This sounds like a great start to the second D:Ream album, and thankfully it was released as a single (the third and final one from the album), but stalled in the UK at #40.

Almost seamlessly, the album’s lead hit single Shoot Me With Your Love bursts in, with it’s Italia house style pianos courtesy of Jools Holland. This is an extremely up-beat track and one that’s very catchy. It’s mid-section choral breaks harks back to Things Can Only Get Better.

What strikes me pretty early on in third track You’ve Saved My World is the vocal line of ‘it’s gonna be alright’ – which sounds exactly like the Pet Shop Boys‘ cover of It’s Alright. Despite this, the track is actually quite a nice track. Peter makes light work of the vocal range on this track, at times sounding like George Michael.

Next up is The Miracle which is a more mellow track with a funky bassline. This track really lets Peter’s vocals stray further into the same chilled-out soulful vocal territory that George Michael would tread on his Older album that came out the following year.

A gentle synth and percussion opens Call Me, and then more (rather nice) house piano ushers in the vocals. This is quite a nice little track, but it’s definitely album territory as it doesn’t quite have the same velocity as the singles.

Next track Enough Is Enough (no, not a cover, but that could have been interesting) begins with synths, before bringing in a catchy bass synth takes control. Peter’s vocals are quite subdued here in relation to the music – with the backing vocalists lifting the tone by contrast. This is definitely an album-only track. It’s also 5 minutes long (not the longest track), and it feels about 1-1.5 minutes too long.

Seventh track You Can’t Tell Me You Cannot Buy Me Love is up next, opening with some guitar and a great bassline. This track feels much more alive musically. The cumbersome song title doesn’t cause problems in the chorus, and Peter’s harmonies with TJ Davis on backing vocals work really well, making it quite catchy. This should have been a single, although I’d have halved the song title down to Cannot Buy Me Love or perhaps You Can’t Tell Me.

Second single Party Up The World is up next. This album version has a long intro, that must surely have been cut for the single edit. When you listen to this song, it’s notably pop light – but then it would have been up against the likes of tracks from pop foursome Deuce. Sadly this song isn’t very catchy, and the verses are particularly unmemorable, but the single did reach #20 in the UK.

The gentle Hold Me Now is up next – again laden with some great backing vocals and harmonies, and breathy synths. This is a great mellow track, and again Peter is sounding like George Michael here. However, at 5:34, this is quite a long track, and could easily have been brought down by at least a minute.

Going by the track listing on the sleeve, Heart Of Gold is the final track, but this is not quite true. This song opens with some gentle tinkling piano, which leads Peter’s vocals over a gentle beat. Peter scales quite a high range in this track, and he copes perfectly. This is a D:Ream ballad – and a minimal one. There’s no dance pianos here. This track is also 5:59 minutes long, but this does include a short silence at the end. Unlike Hold Me Now, it doesn’t leave you waiting for the end – it feels right. It’s a great ‘final’ track.

Then, tucked right on the end of the CD version is Fadeout, which fades in and back out again within 51 seconds, and gives you a short saloon-styled piano ending.

D:Ream’s lead single ‘Shoot Me With Your Love’

POP RESCUE RATING:

Despite a lack of memorable singles from this album, the album itself charted at #5 in the UK, matching the position of their debut album On Vol 1. However, it is not as pop and catchy as the debut.