A long time ago, in a far away land, there existed a pop group called, Wilson Phillips. Wilson stood for the sisters Wilson - raven-haired Carnie and Wendy. Phillips is the lovely daughter of Michelle Phillips and John Phillips - Chynna. Childhood friends, they were destined to do something together and what better than to form themselves as a pop group in the late eighties...

So they did and the three girls were welcomed with open arms by the sappy, pop enthusiasts like myself. Their debut album, Wilson Phillips did well, selling oodles and oodles of copies (like 4 million I think).

Two years after that debut album, they released Shadows and Light. Now I LOVED the cd however, because it only sold 1 million copies, it was considered a flop. boo hiss. The girls cancelled their concert tour and broke up immediately. This made me not happy. Twelve years later I am still waiting for their reunion. This is an important point to make because it’s supposedly in the works (like for the last two years). Can they just get it done NOW?!?!?!?!

Anyway, if you can't tell by the number of reviews I done on this group, I'm a huge fan - past and present. Their second release off of Shadows and Light was Give It Up. I bought that cd single (like every frickin' other one) despite the fact that I disagreed with releasing this song next (note: record companies should really consult with the world's biggest pop fan before they do stupid things).

Tracks
Give It Up
Daniel
You Won't See Me Cry
Give It Up (Dance Mix)

Now don't get me wrong. I liked (and like) Give It Up. It just didn't seem to me to be a strong second release. After the sultry You Won't See Me Cry, they should have put forth something like Don't Take Me Down or Fueled For Houston.

Give It Up, while musically perky, has a weak link. Her name is Wendy Wilson. You see, Wendy is gorgeous and sweet and great for back-up purposes but she lacks the rich vocals that her sister Carnie can belt out and she sure doesn't have the range of friend Chynna. Her voice is on the high side and she seems to struggle with the material which comes off as totally lacking any confidence. They would have been better off having Chynna sing the main parts of this song. I'm thinking the general public agreed with me as it only reached #30. (Please see note above re: consulting the world's biggest pop fan.)

The inclusion of Daniel on this cd single was brilliant. If you haven't heard Wilson Phillips version of Daniel, you must. It's gorgeous. The three part harmonies are stunning. Wendy's thinness fits, Chynna's contrast to Carnie's lower key is a goosebump inducing moment. Glen Ballard, their producer on both albums, did a fine job arranging the vocals. Too bad he became a bastard once he moved on to Alanis Morissette.

You Won't See Me Cry is a gorgeous single. I absolutely LOVED the video, directed by Michael Bay. The girls were all dressed up, lookin' like classy hoochie-mamas. I don't care if Carnie was three times their size (hey, I'm no small girl myself). She was lookin' mighty fine. ANYWAY. The neat thing about this song is the lead vocal - the piano - which makes a rolling entrance that eventually crescendos into the girls vocals. I personally love to take Carnie's part on this track - it gives me goosebumps. Love this song.

The dance mix version of Give It Up is big on horns and different drum beats. Other than that, the vocals are still the same.

A real treat is the cd package this thing comes in. The cover is a rich red-burgundy with a color picture of the girls in their lingerie (remember one of the pics from the insert to Shadows and Light?). It's definitely from that same photo session. The cd package opens up into three sections. The first section has another gorgeous picture of the girls in cocktail dresses, standing at the foot of a winding staircase (looks like the one from their video). The middle part is where the cd is. The third part has the lyrics to Give It Up but then also opens up into another tri-fold section that has individual pictures of Carnie, Chynna, and Wendy.

Now - ya know - only fans like myself would dig all of this so please take my recommendation as one for the fan base - not you regular people.

Great Music To Play While: Wondering how long it takes for three girls to get their asses back into a studio.

Other Wilson Phillips Stuff:
Wilson Phillips
Shadows and Light
Greatest Hits
Billboard Top Hits 1990
Best Of Love: 16 Great Soft Rock Hits - Various Artists
The Best of Wilson Phillips
The Videos - Wilson Phillips
The Making of Shadows and Light
Gut Feelings: From Fear & Despair to Health & Happiness
I'm Still Hungry: Finding Myself Through Thick and Thin


Recommended: Yes