Sarina Paris

Album review

Have you ever seen an amazing movie trailer and thought to yourself, "That is going to be an awesome flick"? Then, much to your surprise and disappointment -- and after dropping ten bucks -- the film bombs? Newcomer Sarina Paris' self-titled debut poses a similar situation. The album's first single release, the runaway dance hit "Look at Us," with its sugary dance-pop sound and Paris' sweet voice, suggests that the rest of the disc will be just as good. Wrong. The thin music and arrangements on the 13 tracks are simply monotonous. Paris' dance-pop songs feature the same 4/4 "thump-thump" drum pattern, an unchanging bassline, and bland and stiff dance synthesizer parts. Put it this way, barring the album's one ballad -- a vocally deficient version of Cyndi Lauper's powerhouse hit "True Colors" -- the words to "Look at Us" can be set to the music found on the rest of the disc's songs -- and it wouldn't skip a beat. One semi-redeeming moment occurs on "True Love," which begins with a promising underground house beat, but then quickly returns to the sophomoric and boring sound that plagues the disc. This slight musical variation, however, is like finding water on a desert -- it's sorely needed and you'll take it. Paris' vocal style is innocent and flavored with an electronica sensibility; she sounds like a contemporary Debbie Deb, the artist who sang the '80s club classic "When I Hear Music." However, the producers on this album seem fond of Cher's electronica persona, as they treat Paris' vocals with a similar warbled effect found on Cher's comeback dance hit "Believe." In fact, they like this effect so much that they apply it to Paris' voice on nearly every song. This is one vapid album. However, 2001 marks the beginning of Paris' fledgling career. She does have an infectious voice; it is just sorely misused on this disc. Better producers and songwriters would do Paris a world of good. Her potential is certainly there.

© Liana Jonas /TiVo