The Chimes - The Chimes (1990)

The Chimes were a British dance music trio, which consisted of Pauline Henry (born in Jamaica) with Mike Peden and James Locke from Edinburgh, Scotland.
They are best known for their hits "Heaven" and a remake of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", which became a UK Top 10 hit.

Bono from U2 commented that the Chimes' cover of their hit "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" was the "only cover version he had heard that he enjoyed and did the original justice", adding "at last someone's come along to sing it properly".

The Chimes' sole album is proof that commercial dance-pop can have artistic viability as well as chart potential.
A mixture of hip influences (Soul II Soul's Jazzie B and Nellee Hooper produced two tracks, including the meaty acid house single "1-2-3") and the polish of soul and pop veterans (Pete Wingfield plays piano on most of the album, and other guests range from the Hooters' Eric Bazilian to '70s studio pro Ralph Schuckett), The Chimes is a completely solid and credible album with thankfully little of the overdone slickness or shrieking of pseudo-soul pretenders.
(In fact, it's possible that the low-key dignity of this album is why it wasn't a bigger chart hit, though it received rave reviews both in the U.S. and the trio's native Great Britain.)
Pauline Henry's expressive but controlled voice is powerful without resorting to the tiresome trills and oversinging of so many of her R&B contemporaries, and multi-instrumentalist producers James Locke and Michael Peden combine pop, dance, and soul influences into a seamless, sleekly danceable blend.
The album's biggest hit, a gospel-tinged remake of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," finds new levels of power in that overplayed song, and its inclusion makes perfect thematic and musical sense instead of being the desperate plea for chart attention it might have been in less capable hands.


Track listing

1. "Love So Tender" - 2:58
2. "Heaven" - 3:49
3. "True Love" - 3:53
4. "1-2-3" - 3:23
5. "Underestimate" - 4:08
6. "Love Comes to Mind" - 4:52
7. "Don't Make Me Wait" - 4:01
8. "Stronger Together" - 3:51
9. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - 5:27
10. "Stay" - 4:41
11. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (Street Mix) - 6:18
12. "Heaven" (Physical Mix) - 8:26

• Tracks 11 and 12 are included on the CD version only

Personnel

• The Chimes – performer, primary artist
• Pauline Henry – performer
• James Locke – performer
• Michael Peden – performer
• Pete Wingfield – piano

Companies, etc.

• Record Company – CBS Inc.
• Copyright (c) – CBS United Kingdom Ltd.
• Distributed By – CBS Records
• Published By – CBS Music Publishing
• Published By – Blue Mountain Music Ltd.
• Produced For – Silent Productions Ltd.
• Pressed By – CBS, Haarlem – 01 466481 20

Credits

• Congas – Tony Spiker
• Design [Sleeve Design] – Andrew Biscomb, Peter Barrett (3)
• Flute – Phil Todd (tracks: B1)
• Management – Custom Soul Ltd., Walter Morris (3)
• Percussion – Louis Jardim (tracks: A5, B4)
• Photography By – Enrique Badulescu, Steve Rapport
• Piano – Pete Wingfield (tracks: A1, A2, B1, B2, B4, B5), Simon Law (tracks: A3 to A5, B3)
• Programmed By – Mel Wesson
• Strings – The Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra (tracks: A5, B3)
• Vibraphone [Vibes] – Frank Ricotti
• Written-By – The Chimes

Notes

Released: 1990

Genre: Smooth Soul

Length: 74:48

Label - CBS Records