John Paul Young
Heaven Sent - Albert 1979
Tracks: 1. Heaven Sent / 2. Don't You Walk That Way / 3. I Don't Wanna Lose You / 4. Love You So Bad It Hurts / 5. Hot for You Baby / 6. Can't Get You out of My System / 7. I Ain't Ready for Love / 8. Bad Side of the City
Comments:
I was quite excited about John Paul Young's 1978 album “Love is in the Air”; in particular, the songs written by producer-team Harry Vanda and George Young were very good. A quick look at the cover of this 1979 successor appears immediately promising; as you can read on the back, “All compositions written by Vanda & Young. No reason to hesitate, you should think.
The album opens with soul-pop-rocker, single and title track "Heaven Sent" - not a number that in any way can match the fine singles on "Love is in the Air".
After listening to the whole of side one, disappointment gradually begins to show; the music is quite well played and well produced; but the individual songs themselves are not up to expected standards. They appear a bit like second rate Flash and the Pan material; Vanda and Young were well on their way with their leisure project at this time, and had achieved great critical acclaim and also some commercial success with the debut album from 1978 and they were probably well underway with the sequel "Headlines", which was to be released in 1980.
"Don't Wanna Walk That Way" - may be a bit reminiscent of "I'm on the Level" with you from Flash and the Pan's latest album - but without having the same class, while "Love You So Bad it Hurts" is a bit like a duller version of "The African Shuffle".
The four numbers on side two are not much better. The single "Hot For You Baby" has a good guitar riff, but is otherwise pretty unexciting. Another single "Can't Get You Out of My System" is a little better, without being really good. A favorite could be the soulful ballad "I Ain't Ready for Love" - if a favorite is to be selected. But overall, the album is a big disappointment.
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