Fading Shades is absolutely amazing. Not a disappointment at all. One of my favorite Sandra albums of all time. The cover is quite different from the older Sandra cds. It really does stand out. There's a closeup of Sandra's face. Is that her hair we see in the background? It's weird because they seem to stick out like little twigs. It's unusual but very nice. And of course, Sandra is a babe--especially the photo of her on the back cover of the cd.
The music itself is very Euro-pop...similar to Sandra's older albums such as Mirrors...but more of a dance/techno feel to it.
I seem to like the album version of Nights In White Satin better than the single's radio edit (although they are pretty much the same). Perhaps it's because Fading Shades (part 1) is used as an intro to Nights In White Satin. It's nice how Fading Shades mixes right into Nights In White Satin. It reminds me a lot of the Enigma albums. Now I only wish Sandra would have released Nights In White Satin starting off with the Fading Shades instrumental. The two works perfectly together.
Son of A Time Machine is an excellent track. Sandra's vocals just make you melt....but then again she seems to have that effect on every song.
Won't Run Away---Great choice for the next single. Very upbeat dance/pop music. It runs along the line of Everlasting Love (the Pete Hammond/PWL remix). Just superb!
Tell Me More--Another great dance track. Same as Won't Run Away.
Will You Whisper--What a beautiful ballad. You simply have to hear it before going to bed....
Invisible Shelter--Although Sandra sings only the chorus on this one, the song is just excellent. It starts off slowly then builds into a super techno/pop hit. And the way Sandra says "Can you feel me tonight?"....Wow!!!
You Are So Beautiful--Very upbeat dance track...similar to the older Sandra materials.
I Need Love ('95)--One word BRILLIANT!!!--Michael Cretu did an excellent job with this remix. I like how it's slower that the album version on Close To Seven. It sounds very Enigma.
First Lullaby--What a touching ballad. I can just imagine Sandra singing this one to her twins. It's very beautiful and calming. I really like how it ends with Fading Shades (part 2). They flow so well together.
So here's how I would rank Sandra's albums from 1 to 10:
Fading Shades (10)
18 Greatest Hits (9)
Sandra--Greatest Hits (10)
Close To Seven (9)
Paintings In Yellow (10)
Everlasting Love (US Best Of Comp.) (8)
Into A Secret Land (8)
Ten On One (8)
Mirrors (10)
The Long Play (9)
Sorry about the high rankings--but I'm a big fan!
For all you US Sandra/Enigma fans out there--special order Fading Shades right away. It's a definite must have IMO.