Introducing the Hardline - Sananda Maitreya (1987)
While you might not recognize the name Sananda Maitreya, he made quite an impact with a trio of interesting and genre-defying records in the late 80s and early 90s under the stage name Terrence Trent D’Arby. He changed it as part of a spiritual awakening at the turn of the century. None of this would particularly matter except that this debut of his has his name in the title.
I often complain about music from about 1988 to 1990 when music was still mostly being mastered for the dynamic limitations of vinyl. But this is possibly the worst example I’ve ever heard of an album that is not ready for digital. Listening on my morning drive, I was able to crank up the bass and nerf the midrange enough to get most of the detail out of it, but I always feel like your equalizer settings are guesswork at best and not representative of what people wanted you to hear.
When you get under all that middling middle, you start to hear the details of the excellently constructed funk- and soul-inflected R&B that this record is.
Tracks I Liked
Wishing Well - a song you’ve no doubt heard, but is definitely worth listening more closely.
Seven More Days - a shout-along chorus and a great build.
Rain - sort of a mix of a traditional spiritual with the sonic setting of an 80s pop reggae track
Sign Your Name - another hit single. A slow-burn song of longing.
