Wilson Phillips’ self-titled debut album was a big deal—and why not? Featuring the talents of Wendy and Carnie Wilson and friend Chynna Phillips, all three came from talented families (Brian and Marilyn Wilson and John and Michelle Philips) and all three inherited their parents’ singing abilities. Furthermore, while their families may have been well-known, they didn’t bank their success simply based upon their parents were, either. The women of Wilson Phillips were serious, as opposed to some children of other Sixties rock stars. But there was a price for their success—media over-saturation—and their brand of easy-on-the-ears adult contemporary pop would quickly become passé. Simply put: “Hold On” and “Release Me” were played too much. Shame, too; the group had some great songs that weren’t necessarily chart-minded.Case in point: album cut “Over and Over,” While the production occasionally sounds quite dated, what wasn’t fake were the song’s drop-dead gorgeous harmonies—proving that in spite of their dysfunctional families and absent fathers, the girls learned a few important things from their parents. A deluxe edition of Wilson Phillips is to be released on Friday; though the bonuses are painfully redundant remixes (though the single versions of the hits are essential), the quality of the album itself hasn’t dulled one jot since it was released twenty-six years ago.
Wilson Phillips (Deluxe Edition) is released 9 December 2016 via Caroline International.
Preorder: Amazon
The Recoup 
Leave a Reply