Alison Moyet
Alf

THE REVIEW

Riddle: what is the girl next door doing, no, not the pretty one, but the other one with some metabolism issues and sky-high cholesterol (the medical-scientific term is: fatty), amidst hyper-technological instruments, synthetic keyboards, and sampled sounds?

Answer: nothing.

It's probably the same answer the buxom Alison Moyet gave herself when, limited and diminished by a musical genre that compressed and flattened her excellent vocal qualities, she decided to break free from the restless Vince Clarke (who, by the way, had picked her out of nowhere) to start walking on her own. Thus, the partnership between them, under the name Yazoo, lasted little more than a morning: just enough time to climb the charts of half of Europe with a techno-pop perfectly immersed in the tastes of the period but not lacking originality, especially thanks to the vocal twists and turns of Moyet.

In 1984, Alison, blond and already with a very black voice at the time, debuted as a solo artist, happily orphaned from her former partner Vince. And she did it with this fresh and enjoyable album, titled "Alf" like her nickname, an album of which, besides being a (superb) singer, she is also co-author.

Eight tracks, in which soul, funk, dance, and a hint of blues serve electronic pop. Or, if you prefer, the opposite: electronic sounds mix and blend with noble "black" influences. It's precisely this blend of musical genres that, even after so many years, has made this album "age" so well and creates a general sense of pleasantness that still makes it enjoyable to listen to. With a few exclamation points: the leading song is "Love Resurrection", the first, danceable single, in which the powerful and deep tone of Alison stands out along with a cute and catchy refrain. "Invisible", a huge success in the States as well, follows the same themes. But my favorite is the sinuous "All Cried Out", truly stunning, with remarkable vocal blends and a "doc" arrangement. The farewell is entrusted to "Where Hides Sleep", an enveloping 3/4 with great atmosphere.

Moyet's subsequent works will be good but inconsistent, and among other things, will suffer from disagreements, which later resulted in legal disputes, with her record label. There will also be a whole album of covers, which will bring her back, in 2004, to general attention. In 2008, however, there was a forgettable reunion with Vince Clarke, with a related tour.

Today Alison is a middle-aged lady; she has made peace with the scale (but not too much), dabbles in theater (but not too much), and still sells records (but not too many).

Three stars, yes, because five stars go to masterpieces, and I give four to great albums. This one is good, 3 and a half, which I round down because sweet Alison, in her respectable career, could and should have dared a bit more after this debut.