After ten albums, you’d expect Modern Talking to evolve their musical style a little; sadly, however, “America”, their latest effort, showcases very little that’s new or interesting. In fact, the album often seems schizophrenic - while many of the songs are about America and Americans (“New York City Girl”, “Last Exit To Brooklyn”, “From Coast To Coast” and the title track itself), the remainder seem to have little connection to the album’s stated theme.
Of the tracks on the album, the opening cut, “Win The Race” immediately sets the tone with its pounding beats and rapid-fire lyrics. “Witchqueen Of Eldorado” and “New York City Girl” are also good, although “Last Exit To Brooklyn” has a little something extra that pushes it a couple of notches above them. “Lonely Maria” and “I Need You Now” add some Latin rhythms, while “Send Me A Letter From Heaven”, “Sms To My Heart” and “Why Does It Always Rain In My Heart?” are frankly disappointing.
Fans of the group will have little trouble recognizing the group’s distinctive synthesized sounds and hypnotic dance beats, since these two elements are present in almost every song on the album; however, the lack of diversity and range is troubling, and I’m hoping we see some new influences in the next album. More intelligent lyrics might also help.
This article was first published on 02 Jun 2001.