1995 Celine Dion: Think Twice

Though she can be said to be the hitherto missing piece in a tri-partite of nineties pop divas, Celine Dion always stood slightly apart, slightly aloof from contemporaries Maria and Whitney. Whereas the latter pair were happy to flaunt their pop wares in all things cropped or low cut, Celine tended to drape whatever she did in Chanel and floor length Dior to appeal to the more sophisticated end of the market. All bluff of course - there's nothing in the soft rock of 'Think Twice' that Maria couldn't have made hay with, but its appeal stems Dion knowing when to let the land lie fallow and when to ramp up the drama, like on the "This is getting serious" line where she snaps you to attention as surely as if she were addressing the listener directly. Yes it all goes a bit Heart or Pat Benatar by the time Aldo Nova wades in with a noodly guitar solo, but it all adds to the definite 1970's glow that 'Think Twice' gives off, making it almost a refugee from that decade that managed to escape the clutches of Kiki Dee or Barbara Dickson. And this in turn helps make it stand out as an artefact of quality amongst the slick dance mixes it rubs shoulders with. It's not, particularly (quality, that is), but in providing an exception it's a timely lesson in how music used to sound by default.