Cher
's mid-'90s album
It's a Man's World
can safely be labeled as one of the singer's finest, as well as one of her most overlooked and underappreciated albums. Full of steamy, torchy
ballads
, Western-themed epics, and
R&B
influences, the album finds the singer sounding vocally relaxed and self-assured. Around this time,
Madonna
made an album of heavily
-influenced material (
Bedtime Stories
) to capitalize on the mid-'90s
/
pop
phenomenon (when
Boyz II Men
and all their clones ruled the music charts); this album could be classified as
's similar effort.
"One by One,"
the album's opener (and first single), is an irresistible, mid-tempo
soul
number that never made the American Top 40, yet became a club hit in its remixed form. The original album version, however, is decidedly superior. She also includes several covers, among them
Don Henley
's 1985 hit
"Not Enough Love in the World"
as well as a rousing rendition of
Marc Cohn
's
"Walking in Memphis,"
which became an international hit. The real highlights, however, are the set's three closers.
"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore"
is epic and beautiful, complete with echoes of the Wild West, which then lead into the similarly Western, and extremely steamy
"The Gunman,"
and ends with a smoldering version of
James Brown
"It's a Man's Man's Man's World."
This is
at her best, and bridges the gap between late '80s/early '90s faux
metal
-babe
and her 1999 dance-club comeback album
Believe
. This album is also available in a better (and more expensive) import version, which includes three extra tracks and features different mixes of the first five songs. ~ Jose F. Promis