Unconditional Peter Andre Love Songs

Album review

Compiled for Valentine's Day release not long after "Behind Closed Doors" returned Peter Andre to the U.K. Top Ten for the first time in five years, Unconditional: Love Songs is a thematic compilation comprised of previously released material and five newly recorded covers. The previously released material comes from the albums Revelation (2009), The Long Road Back (2004), Time (1997), and Natural (1996). Though there are some hits to be heard within the selections, there are a lot of album tracks on Unconditional: Love Songs, material that won't be familiar to fans who mostly know the radio favorites. Many of Andre's best-known songs are noticeably nowhere to be found, for instance his breakout hit, "Mysterious Girl," or his most recent, "Behind Closed Doors." In their place are five new songs, covers of classic love songs. Three of them are soul classics by Stevie Wonder ("Overjoyed"), Michael Jackson ("She's Out of My Life"), and Trent D'Arby ("Sign Your Name"). Another is Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me," the most appealing of the bunch. Andre is known for many things, from his cut-from-stone model image to his rumor-mill relationship with Katie Price; unfortunately, his vocal talents aren't something for which he's especially well known. The five cover songs here aren't going to win Andre any new fans. In essence, Unconditional: Love Songs is oriented toward those who enjoyed "Behind Closed Doors," those who are looking forward to more material from Andre but who aren't yet acquainted with his back catalog of album tracks. Those looking for a greatest-hits collection should go with The Platinum Collection (2005). It lacks Revelation material, but it's got "Mysterious Girl" and all the other big hits from years past. Unconditional: Love Songs, on the other hand, is more like an odds-n-sods collection of love songs conveniently compiled for release just in time for Valentine's Day.

© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo