Paula Abdul - Spellbound

The reason Paula Abdul was one of the handful of pop-dance artists of her time to actually have a career is that her production is so good that 10-15 years later it stands as the embodiment of late-'80s pop without being a parody of itself. And with this, her second album, she reinforces the upbeat personality she expressed on Forever Your Girl while showing growth as well. "Promise of a New Day," "Rock House," and John Hiatt's "Alright Tonight" are bouncy and joyous, much like some of the bright hits from her debut, but she adds a funky techno edge with "Vibeology," and "Will You Marry Me?" skates that thin line between sweet and precious. Additionally, Abdul adds better and more ballads to this CD. Smartly, her production team has put together sweeping, adult love songs (the hits "Rush Rush" and "Blowing Kisses in the Wind") that help give her strong crossover appeal to adult contemporary without alienating her original fan base. Not many artists hit the mark twice in terms of commercial and critical appeal, but Abdul was savvy enough to choose strong material (much of which was co-written by Abdul herself, Peter Lord, Sandra St. Victor, and V. Jeffrey Smith) and smart producers (including Lord, Smith, and Don Was). This was a safe follow-up to a massively successful debut, and surprisingly enough for a pop star, the baby steps she took toward becoming a respected artist were sure and solidly embraced. ~ Bryan Buss, All Music Guide

Name Credits Arne Frager Engineer Arnold McCuller Vocals (Background) Clifford Moonie Pusey Guitar Colin England Vocals (Background) Curt Bisquera Drums Dave Pensado Engineer Don Feinberg Engineer Don Was Producer Ed Cherney Engineer Greg Adams Trumpet Greg Laney Engineer Ivan Neville Keyboards Jamie Muhoberac Organ Jorge Corante Producer Mark Goldenberg Guitar Melanie Nissen Art Direction Michael Koppelman Engineer Mike Campbell Guitar Paisley Park Producer Paula Abdul Vocals, Vocals (Background) Paulinho Da Costa Percussion Peter Lord Vocals (Background), Keyboards, Programming, Producer Randy Jacobs Guitar Rocky Bryant Drums Rod Hul Engineer Sally Dworsky Vocals (Background) Sandra St. Victor Vocals (Background) Sir Harry Bowens Vocals (Background) Stephen Kupka Sax (Baritone) Steve Grove Sax (Tenor) Stevie Wonder Harmonica Stuart Canin Violin Sweet Pea Atkinson Vocals (Background) The Family Stand Vocals (Background) Tim Drummond Bass Tom Hammer Keyboards V. Jeffrey Smith Programming, Keyboards, Guitar, Producer, Saxophone Wolfgang Aichholz Engineer