Electric Youth

by Debbie Gibson

Overview

Following up her enormously popular debut, Out of the Blue, Debbie Gibson sought to grow from the teen fan base she had established, while not alienating those who made her a household name. The result is slickly produced teen pop, like her debut, but it's not as squeaky clean or as compulsively likable. That is not to say it's a bad album. "Lost in Your Eyes" is a pretty ballad that showcases her songwriting skills, her clear voice, and her talent on the piano. "Electric Youth" is a bouncy, frenetic song that is ridiculously sing-alongable, but at the same it is time hard to really identify with it unless you're 12 (or at least young at heart). "We Could Be Together," in which she basically tells her friends and family to go fly a kite, is practically anthemic in its joy at taking a risk on love: "I'll take this chance/I'll make this choice/I'll give up my security/for just the possibility/that we could be together/for a while." It's teen pop at its best: it makes you feel young, it makes you want to sing, it makes you want to fall in love. "Silence Speaks (A Thousand Words)" is a beautiful ballad about lack of communication that is vastly different from any of her other work, with a flute solo and lyrics that many adult songwriters can't nail. The same can be said for "No More Rhyme," a minor hit about a relationship's first hurdle. Gibson really exercised her writing chops on those songs, but much of the rest the album is only passable filler; "Who Loves Ya Baby?," "Helplessly in Love," and "Over the Wall" do little more than give her voice a reason to shine, while "Shades of the Past" is excruciatingly grating. ~ Bryan Buss

Product Details

Release Date:	10/25/1990
Label:	Atlantic
UPC:	0075678193224
Rank:	7083

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Debbie Gibson   Primary Artist,Keyboards,Vocals (Background),Piano,Vocals
Matt Finders   Trombone
Tommy Williams   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Ira Siegel   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Hollis "Bud" Burridge   Trumpet
Bashiri Johnson   Percussion
V. Jeffrey Smith   Saxophone
Libby Johnson   Vocals (Background)
Louis Appel   Drums
Sandra St. Victor   Vocals (Background)
Roger Rosenberg   Flute,Soloist
Leslie Ming   Percussion
Ed Palermo   Sax (Tenor)
Fred Zarr   Piano,Keyboards
Kirk Powers Burkhardt   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Keeth Stewart   Vocals (Background)
Tim Lawless   Vocals (Background)
Carrie Johnson   Vocals (Background)
Adam Tese   Saxophone,Percussion
Jeff Smith   Saxophone
Bud Burridge   Trumpet
Lou Appel   Drums
Bob Osman   Cello
Greg Savino   Keyboards
Linda Moran   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Mario Salvatti   Engineer
Debbie Gibson   Arranger,Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Drum Programming,Keyboard Programming,Mixing
Bob Rosa   Mixing Engineer
Bill Scheniman   Engineer
Fred Zarr   Mixing,Arranger,Drum Programming,Keyboard Programming,Producer
Phil Castellano   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Richard Travali   Engineer
Bill Esses   Engineer,Programming,Assistant Engineer
Jim Goatley   Assistant,Mixing Engineer
Don Feinberg   Engineer
Bob Brockmann   Mixing,Mixing Engineer