This is Paula Abdul singing at her fastest yet. Those crackly old uncredited vintage jazz record sample sounds return throughout this song, and even what sounds like sleigh bells turn up for Ho-Down. The song grooves along effortlessly and unhurriedly, but the chorus feels like it repeats just a few too many times in its 4m 48s – probably could have lost a minute and it would have been greater. This gives us plenty of vocal samples, another vintage audio sound complete with vinyl crackle, and thick bass, as Paula makes light work of the vocals over the top. That’s followed by The Choice Is Yours, a b-side to Crazy Cool. ‘ All you gotta do, is be a little sexy‘ she reminds us, and perhaps this track just about succeeds in that. Paula gets to show off her sultry vocals again though, pitched alongside a house piano and a gurgling synth, and intermittent percussion. The song bursts open with a thudding bass drum, racing hi-hats, and a couple of repeated synth notes that sounds like an owl that’s got stuck in screech mode. Now it’s time for some Sexy Thoughts, no, I mean that’s the name of the next song. It’s a really nice song, and it’s a shame that it didn’t get a single release. The track allows Paula to show off the rich tenderness of her vocals, and she’s thankfully given plenty of space to shine. That aside, this is a bass-heavy plodding ballad. Then it’s If I Were Your Girl, a track that was initially intended to be the album’s fourth and final single, but got canned after poor chart performance of the previous ones. The track stood alongside Ain’t Never Gonna Give You Up as its b-side – which explains the musical similarity. It’s quite a catchy track in the chorus, although the verses are a little bit cluttered. Paula sounds like she’s in her element and having lots of fun here, sounding perhaps a little reminiscent to her Straight Up debut. Love Don’t Come Easy is next, continuing the vintage brass is-it-a-sample sound, that gives way to a funky R&B up-tempo song. Paula’s and Color Me Badd put in a good performance, even if Paula’s vocals feel a bit buried in the mix here. It’s not quite Take That featuring Lulu, but it is a catchy and bouncy track. This track features backing vocals from what was the boy-band-of-the-moment Color Me Badd. This is followed by the album’s third and final single Ain’t Never Gonna Give You Up, which opens with quite a funky saxophone and brass stabs that give it a real vintage sound.
Despite its rich sound, it stalled at #28 in the UK A pop beat and thick bass joins in, and Paula’s vocals sit in a lower sultry register, and feel highly reminiscent of something you’d find on Madonna’s Bedtime Stories album from the previous year. It opens with a beautiful Middle Eastern and Indian sound to it courtesy of the vocals and use of sitar and tamboura. Next up is lead single My Love Is For Real, which features Israeli singer Ofra Haza. Sadly when released as the album’s second single, it didn’t chart in the UK. It’s less crazy but pretty cool start to the album, with some funky guitar work scattered throughout. Paula’s vocals really shine here, and almost purr along with ease, flanked by some really nice backing vocals.
The album opens with the slick beats of Crazy Cool. Will this album make you do cartwheels, or will it give you a headache? Read on… Paula Abdul – Head Over Heels (1995) album Today’s Pop Rescue from a fate uncertain, is the 1995 3rd studio album Head Over Heels by American singer and songwriter, and talent show judge, Paula Abdul.
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