Gabrielle 'Give Me A Little More Time'

Chart Peak: 5

video

'Give Me A Little More Time', with its big and brassy Motown influence, returned Gabrielle to the Top 20 in February 1996... It is actually her 5th UK Top 30 hit and could emulate her 1993 smashes 'Dreams' and 'Going Nowhere'.

It's not spelt out exactly how it might emulate those two songs, but its eventual chart peak is roughly half-way between theirs of 1 and 9 respectively: it also seems to sit about in the middle of them in posterity, neither a well known as her debut single nor as comprehensively forgotten as its follow-up. By this point in history it was getting pretty rare for a track still to be climbing the chart as the Now album went to press, although as you'll have seen in earlier sleeve notes it wasn't uncommon for them to have to include a track that hadn't even been released by the printers' deadline. It was by 1996 standards extraordinary that the aptly-titled 'Give Me A Little More Time' had to wait for its fifth chart week to reach its highest chart placing; given that it sat at 5 for three weeks it's a reasonable bet that had it enjoyed the more concentrated sales most singles had in those days it would have been a Top 3 hit at least. The fact that it didn't is perhaps indicative of the struggle she had to re-establish herself after the unloved follow-ups to her first hit and the two year break during which she had some difficulties in her personal life. When she finally re-emerged with a new image (her lazy eye now hidden behind a fringe rather than the eyepatch) and a fresh set of songs, fashion seemed to have moved on a little and the world didn't seem as ready, so it was lucky for all concerned that she came back with such a stormer of a single.

I've said before in other contexts that the strident brassy sound suggests Stax or Atlantic to me more than Motown, but this is a bit picky of me. It's certainly in the right area and whereas most songs that are described as having a retro-soul influence merely adopt isolated elements of the production (usually the tambourines) this one has sixties soul all the way through it; even though the beat is presumably programmed it's got the right sort of ambience and feel about it to make you imagine that there are a team of crack studio musicians with rock-solid timing on there and that they're all playing together in a small room. Even the mix does its bit, with so little stereo separation you could mistake it for mono. Of course, even the most perfect pastiche is at risk of seeming pointless, but that's not a problem I ever had with this particular song, which I liked even before I'd listened closely enough to realise how faithful it was to the sound; having grown up hearing old soul music it never struck me as unusual to hear a song in this style. Although the lyric breaks no new ground, it benefits from that slightly chatty, down-to-earth tone of her best songs, and it's easy to imagine her fumbling around how to express her feelings about her friend, and how to deal with the possibility that they might be reciprocated. Even the slightly inconclusive fade on the single edit helps convey the uncertainty: I've never checked what happens in the extra minute or so of the album version, and I was determined to find a link to the correct version - irrelevant as it is to the song, I always quite liked the final shot in the video where the French kids realise there's a camera pointed at them.

Just in case you didn't believe me about Simply Red going downhill after this period, you can see a bit of his ill-advised collaboration with the Fugees in this clip of Gabrielle accepting the first ever MOBO for best single. She deserved it too.

Also appearing on: 25, 26, 33, 27 (with East 17), 36, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 58
Available on: Gabrielle

Gabrielle 'When A Woman'

Chart Peak: 6

YouTube

Following hit singles 'Rise' and 'Sunshine', Gabrielle treated us to a sweet soul-flavoured tune with 'When A Woman' in June 2000... It's seven years since Gabrielle first introduced us to her outstanding Motown-influenced sound when she went to the top of the charts with 'Dreams' in June '93.

"Sweet soul-flavoured tune" isn't far off the mark. It marks a bit of a change from the overt eagerness to please of the first five tracks, each of which was clearly built from the ground up to be a massive hit single: it's also a step away from the previous two Gabrielle singles, which both seemed like songs with an emotional burden to carry. Instead, 'When A Woman' has a breezy feel, as if she's letting her hair down a bit and just singing this one for fun. Whether that's true or not, there's something relaxed and warm-hearted about this song that it's hard not to fall for, even if the lyric never quite explains what her "masterplan" is supposed to be. It may not have been my view at the time, but as of 2012 I rate this as the best track on the album so far.

Also appearing on: Now 25, 26, 27, 33, 35 (with East 17), 36, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 58
Available on: In Love

Gabrielle 'Going Nowhere'

Chart Peak: 9

YouTube

'Going Nowhere' was Gabrielle's 2nd Top 10 hit of 1993... It reached No. 9 as the follow-up to the No.1 summer smash 'Dreams'.

I think they unwittingly give a bit too much away, in that sleeve note: it's hard to imagine this single making the Top 10 had it not been the follow-up to one of the biggest singles of the year. Of course many big Number one acts fail with subsequent releases, and I'm not saying this lacked hit potential anyway, it's just a bit underwhelming. As always, Gabrielle sings rather well, but as is frequently the case, she's not given much to work with. Once you've got over the mild joke of the title - she's actually saying she ain't going nowhere, it's a positive song - it's pleasant but forgettable and indeed forgotten. The Portishead remix is slightly more interesting but there's still not really enough to this.

Also appearing on: Now 25, 27, 33, 35 (with East 17), 36, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 58
Available on: Dreams Can Come True - Greatest Hits Volume 1

Gabrielle 'Walk On By'

Chart Peak: 7

YouTube

Brit-Award winner Gabrielle made No. 7 in January '97 with this cover of Dionne Warwick's classic 'Walk On By'... Her other Top Ten smashes include 'Dreams', 'Give Me A Little More Time' and 'If You Ever' (with East 17).

The second highest-charting version of this song (Sybil took it to Number 5) and the only one ever to show up on a Now! album. Compared to the last Burt Bacharach composition I wrote about here ('On My Own'), this is of course a fine song, bolstered by Hal David's passive-agressive lyric; it's a pity that his contribution seemed somewhat overlooked in the big Bacharach revival of the 1990s. But you knew this was a good song, and you probably knew she was going to sing it well too, though if you didn't this Totp version with a live vocal might prove the point.

It gets a good production in the style of Nellee Hooper (I don't think it actually was him, but there's no credit in the booklet for this track) and the only problem is, it seems so utterly pointless. At least, it's not bringing enough new to the song to seem worth releasing as a single, but it's a decent album track.

Also appearing on: Now 25, 26, 27, 33, 35 (with East 17), 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 58
Available on: I Am Stressed

Gabrielle 'Because Of You'

Chart Peak: 24

YouTube

'Because Of You' is Gabrielle's 4th UK chart hit in the last 9 months... it follows 'Dreams', 'Going Nowhere' and 'I Wish' into the Top 30 and she has just won Best British Newcomer at the "Brit Awards".

Yes, it really does put the name of the award ceremony in inverted commas like that.
At this point in her career the record-breaking debut hit 'Dreams' was proving a tough act to follow, and this fourth single was her second in a row to miss the Top 20. It might have seemed at the time like her career was nearing its end, and indeed I don't think I've ever heard any of the other songs from her first album apart from this one, just now.

It's an OK record, but it does sound rather too much like an attempt to replicate 'Dreams', which is probably why nobody remembers it now.

Also appearing on: Now 25, 26, 33, 35 (with East 17), 36, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 58
Available on: Find Your Way

Gabrielle 'Don't Need The Sun To Shine (To Make Me Smile)'

Chart Peak: 9

YouTube

Still in awe of her own success, Gabrielle says "I used to watch all these stars accepting their Brit Awards and I never dreamed back then that I'd win two of 'em myself. I was supposed to be a one-hit wonder."

The token new song on her Greatest Hits album, 'Don't Need The Sun To Shine' continued a run of big hits that would have seemed implausible after the weak performance of the follow-ups to 'Dreams'. Like the preceding track, it's a laid-back track combining acoustic guitars and gentle electronic backing. It aims for the same contented vibe as well, and is unsurprisingly somewhat more successful in doing so as Gabrielle is undoubtedly a more gifted singer.

All of which said, it still remains rather slight. This is how I feel about most of her music: I sort of like it, recognise the talent involved and feel warmth towards it (and her) but it doesn't really captivate me. Still, it's a nice change to have a new single on a Greatest Hits that's not the weakest track there.

Also appearing on: Now 25, 26, 27, 33, 35 (with East 17), 36, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 58
Available on: Dreams Can Come True - Greatest Hits Vol 1

Gabrielle 'Sunshine'

Chart Peak: 9

YouTube

Already into her second comeback, Gabrielle rather surprised me with the success of this single. She's an act I've often felt rather ambivalent about - a performer of obvious talent whose records I often didn't really appreciate. This was her first Top 10 single since a painfully superfluous cover version of 'Walk On By', which rather seemed to prove the point.
'Sunshine' is definitely better than that, but it remains surprisingly low-key for a comeback single (even if you find a more audible copy than the official YouTube version). Part of the reason for these sales must lie in the skilful choice of remixes for the B-side (the Wookie mix seems to have gone down especially well), but it also seems that the song hit a nerve. It was apparently written as a tribute to her son and the relief he brought to her often troubled life: not least the fact that his father was sent to prison soon after he was born. Even though I don't love this record, I'm pleased it did well.

Also appearing on: Now 25, 26, 27, 33, 35 (with East 17), 36, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 58
Available on: Rise