Critics of
Euro-dance music tend to dismiss its artists as faceless, but
Denis and
Denyse LePage -- collectively the Canadian
Hi-NRG duo
Lime -- are hardly faceless and certainly deserve credit for being recognizable. While
Denis LePage brings a gruff,
rock-like vocal style to
Lime's
Euro-dance grooves,
Denyse LePage tends to sing in a high voice and sounds more
R&B-influenced. Put them together and you have an appealing combination.
Lime never became
pop/Top 40 superstars in the U.S., but in
dance clubs that played a lot of
Hi-NRG, the male/female duo commanded much respect in the 1980s. One of the
Lime LPs that club DJs were quick to notice was
Unexpected Lovers, which came out on the
Matra label in Canada but was released by
TSR in the U.S. The haunting title song was a huge club hit, and while the rest of the album falls short of the title song's excellence, it's generally enjoyable -- those who appreciate
Euro-dance grooves will easily get into cuts like
"I'm Falling in Love," "Say You Love Me," and
"My Lovely Angel." Meanwhile,
"Do Your Time on the Planet" combines the
Euro-beat with
synth-funk, and the instrumental
"Are You Being Untrue Tonight" isn't unlike something
Giorgio Moroder would have produced. For
Hi-NRG enthusiasts,
Unexpected Lovers is worth searching for. ~ Alex Henderson