Classic 90's Pop Struggles to Stand the Test of Time

People were so immersed in the success of Paula Abdul's debut album "Forever Your Girl" that often her far-more-successful follow-up "Spellbound" is forgotten by history.
Take a minute for yourself and try to list all of the songs from "Spellbound" that charted on radio. I'll give you a second...

Okay, got your list? Did you come up with five song titles? Mmm, I bet you didn't. But that's just how successful and popular the songs from "Spellbound" were. Unfortunately those five songs comprise the best material on the album, which tends to slip into mediocrity to fill in the cracks.

Abdul was definately reaching for legitimacy as a performer with this album. Never one to deny that she had a weak vocal presence, she was always the conssumate coreographer and put together quite a show to accompany her music. The first single from "Spellbound" was "Promise of a New Day." A funk-infused pop track, it was accompanied by a sultry video where Abdul danced through forrests and waterfalls, wet and scantily clad. It propelled the song into hit-status, but a controvery also surfaced. Many shots in the video were pinched, and rumours spread that Abdul demanded on this to hide that she had gained weight.

The second single from the album, "Rush, Rush", is a classic ballad of the era that still manages to capture a romantic mood these years later. The video released was a tribute to classic film and featured co-star Keanue Reeves at his most broodingly handsome. It's hard to believe anyone doesn't remember this video playing ten times a day on MTV.

The other charting singles on the album were less popular on radio but still permeated television thanks to Abdul's intricate dancing concepts. "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" is a wispy ballad set to harpsichord, and the video featured Abdul and other dancers performing mid-air ballet thanks to harnesses. "Will U Marry Me?" was the last single released, and thanks to clever video editing the rather dull pop ballad (A tribute to then boyfriend Emilio Estevez) was spiced up with multiple-Paulas in various white outfits performing various dance styles all at once.

The FOURTH single released, "Vibeology," was a mega-dance hit that barely got any video-play on MTV. This was thanks in part to a live video music awards performance of the song in which ABdul appeared in a somewhat scary rhinestone studded boustier number. She looked as pudgy as she was rumoured to be, and became the butt of many jokes. (It would later be revealed that she was struggling with an eating disorder.)

And the truth of the matter couldn't have been plainer: people wanted a sensual Paula Abdul, but not a sexual one. This would later be expanded upon when, for her next video (for a follow-up album that bombed) she was forced by MTV to cut a very brief moment wherein she thrust her midsection into the face of a male dancer.

As for "Spellbound," the remainder of the tracks are nothing more than filler for the 90's pop sound. Experimenting with funk and R&B, tracks like "Rock House" and "U" are disasters that flirt with politics ("To the power on the street to the critics on my jock..shut up and dance!") "Alright Tonight" is a samba-influenced track that would be alright had someone else sung it, but Abdul doesn't have the chops to pull it off.

So, as a whole, the album doesn't pass for a prolongingly successful project, but the five singles are still a great, catchy listen. Pull this one off the shelf, dust it off and pop it in; you're bound to find suppressed pre-grunge memories resurfacing in your mind.