Yoga Bonnie Pierce

Although she had earned worldwide fame in 1978 with "It's a Heartache," Bonnie Tyler had trouble building on that success looked as if she were doomed to one-hit wonder status by the early 1980s. However, she returned to prominence in 1983 with Faster Than Speed of the Night, a bombastic opus that took her gift for heartbroken balladry to epic heights. The key to the this album's success is the production and writing chops of Jim Steinman. He applies the same gothic operatic touch that made his work with Meat Loaf so captivating (and successful), wrapping the songs in atmospheric, all-stops-out arrangements that blend drama and power chords in equal measure.

Bonnie Tyler’s multi-platinum mid-Eighties link with Meat Loaf songwriter Jim Steinman that saw the Welsh songstress etch her name into rock history. Those distinctive husky tones graced classic after classic, from the bombastic transatlantic chart-topper ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ to ‘Holding Out For A Hero’, a US Number 2 from the soundtrack of hit movie Footloose. Add duets with Todd Rundgren and Shakin’ Stevens, the feelgood ‘A Rockin’ Good Way’, plus top album tracks and you’ve a package sure to please fans both in the Principality and the wider rock’n’roll world. This 2CD collection contains 28 hits from the albums Goodbye to the Island, Faster Than the Speed of Night, Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire, and Hide Your Heart. Also contains multiple b-sides and rarities.

efore her well-known collaborations with Meat Loaf producer Jim Steinman, Welsh-born singer Bonnie Tyler (born Gaynor Hopkins) performed off and on in her homeland with the R&B band Mumbles; nodules on her vocal cords prevented her from singing full-time until 1976, when she underwent an operation to have them removed. The surgery left her with a raspy, husky voice that proved an effective instrument and drew notice from writer/producers Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, who became her managers…

With her road band laying the groundwork and with production responsibilities reverted primarily to her own hands, Raitt delivers varied and vivid performances throughout Silver Lining. Jon Cleary, an addition to the lineup, plays the pivotal role; his piano drives the steaming New Orleans groove on "Fool's Game," the posturing street funk of "Monkey Business," and the dusty blues tread on the acoustic-textured "No Gettin' Over You." The material, culled from American and African songwriters, along with a few Raitt originals, lends itself more to vocal interpretation than to straight-ahead blowing. Raitt's singing has never been more finely tuned, especially on the introspective title cut and on the final track, "Wounded Heart," a breathtaking duet recorded in one take with keyboardist Benmont Tench; after nailing it, Raitt reportedly fled the studio, moved to tears; any second attempt proved both undoable and unnecessary…