Cerrone's Paradise : Expanded Edition

Over the years, the sophomore curse has plagued many talented artists, who showed considerable promise on their debut albums but failed to make good on that promise when they recorded their second albums. Gratefully, that wasn't a problem for Cerrone, whose sophomore album, Cerrone's Paradise, only strengthened his reputation in the Euro-disco field. This 1977 outing is similar to Cerrone's 1976 debut, Love in C Minor, but without sounding like musical recycling. On the original LP version of this album, the 16 minute title song took up all of side one, just as Love in C Minor's first side was devoted entirely to its title song. But "Cerrone's Paradise" is a fine orchestral Euro-disco work in its own right, and the slick but funky piece is far from a carbon copy of "Love in C Minor." Euro-disco fans also found a lot to admire about "Take Me" and "Time for Love," the songs that Cerrone co-wrote for side two of the original Cerrone's Paradise LP. While the exuberant "Take Me" was a club favorite, "Time for Love" is an unexpected quiet storm/R&B slow jam. Unexpected because the fans Cerrone acquired with Love in C Minor assumed that everything on his second album would be aimed at the dance floor. Today, Cerrone's Euro-disco arrangements sound extremely dated, after only a few notes, one can easily tell that Cerrone's Paradise was recorded in the late '70s. But then, dated isn't necessarily a bad thing, if you hold a particular era in high regard, dated can actually be a good thing. And for those who hold the disco era in high regard, Cerrone's Paradise is among the classics of its time. ~ Alex Henderson|