Sweet Dreams (La Bouche album) explained

Sweet Dreams
Type:Album
Artist:La Bouche
Cover:Sweet Dreams (La Bouche album).jpg
Border:yes
Released:12 June 1995
Length:55:16
Label:MCI
Next Title:A Moment Of Love
Next Year:1997

Sweet Dreams is the debut studio album by German Eurodance duo La Bouche. Four singles were released from the album: "Sweet Dreams", "Be My Lover", "Fallin' in Love" and "I Love to Love". The album was very successful all over the world, reaching number two in Finland and Switzerland, and number three in Germany. It sold to gold in countries like Canada, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Poland and Switzerland.

Critical reception

J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun complimented Thornton's voice, as a classic soul singer, "blessed with power, tone and an impressive interpretive ability".[1] Gil L. Robertson IV from Cash Box wrote, "Their vocal delivery is crisp, fresh and full of personality that should provide them with a winning edge in the highly competitive world of dance/R&B." He highlighted "Sweet Dreams", "Nice 'N' Slow", "Do You Still Need Me" and "Be My Lover".[2] Chuck Eddy from Entertainment Weekly found that "their electro-boogie keyboards, chesty diva choruses, and bellowed raps are irksomely interchangeable with any old C+C Music Factory hit: the sound of house music spinning its wheels."

Lynn Dean Ford from The Indianapolis Star said the "real treats" on the album include a remake of Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds' 1975 hit "Fallin' in Love", "which La Bouche turns into an engaging R&B shuffle; "Do You Still Need Me", a ballad with an understated country feel; and "Shoo Bee Do Bee Do (I Like it That Way)", a jaunty, hook- filled, midtempo ditty with a jangly rhythm guitar. Through it all, Thornton emerges as a talented vocalist who probably would jam harder on meatier material." Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel stated that the duo "manages some functional rhythms similar to "Be My Lover" on the title track and "I Love to Love"." He felt that La Bouche "pours dance-conscious heart" into "Fallin' in Love", "plus "Nice 'N' Slow" is an agreeable slap-and-stomp number. However, Thornton and McCray stray disastrously from standard dance formula with the swaggering country-esque "Do You Still Need Me" and the mid-tempo "I'll Be There".

Track listing

Adapted from album booklet.[3]

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] 43
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[6] 43
US Billboard 200[7] 59

Notes and References

  1. [J.D. Considine|Considine, J.D.]
  2. Gil L.. Robertson IV. Urban. Cash Box. 27 January 1996. 11. 11 November 2022.
  3. Sweet Dreams. La Bouche. 1995. liner notes. MCI Records.
  4. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts (1995). Offiziellecharts.de. 19 March 2021.
  5. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1996. Australian Recording Industry Association. 6 June 2021.
  6. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 1996. Recorded Music NZ. 31 January 2022.
  7. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996. Billboard. 6 June 2021.