DALBELLO – Whomanfoursays [Canadian reissue ’07]

Few weeks ago we featured here DALBELLO‘s album ‘She’, and many of you asked for her previous album, 1984’s “Whomanfoursays” in remastered form. The LP wasn’t remastered yet, however this limited Canadian-only reissue from 2007 sounds powerful and much more according to modern audio devices.
Co-produced by Lisa Dalbello and the late, talented songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist, Englishman Mick Ronson, “Whomanfoursays” is a true product of the ’80s. While marketed as synth-pop, this is a very avant-garde concept album with a synth-etic sonic treatment and widely experimental.
Three songs from this LP were covered by notable artists: “Gonna Get Close to You” by Queensrÿche on Rage For Order (1986), “Wait for an Answer” by Heart on Bad Animals (1987), and “Animal” by German metal band Heavens Gate on Planet E (1996).

”Whomanfoursays” was the result of Dalbello’s collaboration with Mick Ronson, who had seen her exceptional talent and persuaded Lisa to give music a second try after her first attempts. The resulting album is stunning for its musical and lyrical depth. Even after three and a half decades, it is still a unique listening experience.

Sparse but very effective instrumentation, shrewd dynamics (“Gonna Get Close to You”), Dalbello’s extraordinary voice (listen how she screams out her emotions in “Wait for an Answer”), witty observations with intelligent lyrics (“Devious Nature”), and the combined multi-instrumental capabilities of Dalbello and Mick Ronson make this album one of the records that will stand out as a very sophisticated non-mainstream rock effort with a poppish flavor.
A different ’80s album, and highly recommended.

01 – Gonna Get Close to You
02 – Devious Nature
03 – She Pretends
04 – Wait for an Answer
05 – Animal
06 – Cardinal Sin
07 – Guilty By Association
08 – Path of Least Resistance
09 – Target (My Eyes Are Aimed At You)

Lisa Dalbello — lead vocals, keyboards, bass, drums, percussion
Mick Ronson — guitars, keyboards, bass
Carole Pope — background vocals in “Animal”
John Forbes — Fairlight

Out Of Print