Baccara

Chronique

Yes sir, they could boogie -- all night long and, as it turned out, across an entire album. And, though Baccara never scored more than a couple of U.K. hits, the duo's 1977 self-titled debut album suggests that, with a little extra marketing, they could have churned them out forever. Baccara's well-strung hybrid of post-Brotherhood of Man Eurovision pop and prepubescent bubblegum lyricism was certainly a catchy brew -- like the similarly styled 2002 hitmakers Las Ketchup, it was not the words they sang that made Baccara so buoyant, it was the way they sang them. While the chorus has been burned into the brain, it was the verses to the U.K. number one "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" that set up the song, displaying a pent-up sensuality whose eventual release was like an orgasm for the dancefloor. Following almost precisely the same format, and sounding like an exotic Shangri-Las, "Sorry, I'm a Lady" followed its predecessor into the U.K. Top Ten and promised more than a simple pop-disco jingle ought to, rhyming the title with "I'd rather be a little shady" and leaving listeners in no doubt what they're apologizing for. Elsewhere, the duo's grip on "Can't Help Falling in Love" may outrage classic Elvis fans, but does demonstrate the sheer versatility of a well-honed dance arrangement, while "Koochie-Koo" and "Cara Mia" rocket Baccara back to the duo's continental dance club beginnings, to catch them letting rip with a passion that even the absence of English lyrics cannot disguise. All of which adds up to a remarkably enjoyable album, and an irresistibly contagious one. Every great party should have at least one copy.

© Amy Hanson /TiVo