Flashback: 1990

I cannot BELIEVE that nobody has reviewed this album. Are you people trying to tell me that none of you own it? Come on, I know you do. Don't be shy. I'll bet you even like it, just a little bit.

I know I do. There, I said it.

Gonna Make You Sweat, while not the only album from C&C Music Factory, is the only one that really matters, mostly for the inclusion of über dance hit "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)". Everybody knows that song. My MOM knows that song. It was a huge hit in 1990 and it still stands as one of the greatest dance songs of all time. Just ask VH1. Not only that, but this album (combined with Snap's World Power) triggered my love of industrial music, as "Gonna Make You Sweat" and "The Power" were what made me realize that dance beats + distorted guitars = tasty treats. So in my personal grand scheme of things, this is a pretty important album.

It begins, appropriately enough, with the dance anthem that allowed producers David Cole and Robert Clivillés (hence C&C, get it?) to go platinum: "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)". Behind Freedom Williams' rapping and Martha Wash's largely uncredited divalicious vocals (she is listed in the credits as "Background and Support Vocals"--yeah, right), the listener is treated to a pastiche of relentless TechnoPoP beats and MetalPoP guitars that absolutely SCREAMS at you to get up and dance. And yes, I really did just use the word "divalicious." Just making sure you were paying attention. In any case, "Gonna Make You Sweat" is a dance classic, period.

The largely neglected rest of the album is actually not half bad either. "Here We Go (Let's Rock and Roll)" takes the exact same beat as "Gonna Make You Sweat"--I suppose they figured we wouldn't notice?--adds more metal guitars, lets Freedom rap some more, and introduces a new diva, one Zelma Davis. Believe it or not, I actually prefer this track to "Gonna Make You Sweat," once I get past the exact-same-beat thing. Then there's the classic "Things That Make You Go Hmmmm....", which is the first song I ever heard in Dolby Surround Sound. It's a party, and the sense of humor found in the lyrics combined with the rather prevalent nods to Aretha Franklin make this yet another great dance tune. Yes, the first three tracks are all really pretty good early 90's dance cheese.

Unfortunately, the album goes downhill pretty quickly. Only three other tracks are of note: "A Groove of Love (What's This Word Called Love?)", "Bang That Beat", and the untitled hidden track. "A Groove of Love" actually leans so close to some of the things I enjoy in the industrial genre that it makes me fear that my entire love of industrial music is actually a deep-seated longing for the return of late-80's early-90's style dance music. The poor-man's-Ice-T vocals from Freedom Williams up the guilty pleasure factor another notch, and female vocals straight out of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" push it over the edge. Honestly, the 10 minutes of "A Groove of Love" are my favorite thing on the disc. "Bang That Beat" is a barnburner in the style of the first few tracks, and the untitled hidden track is a sample-heavy instrumental that rivals anything Darude's done in the last few years. Seriously.

The rest of the album is full of wailing divas over generic dance beats, plus a vocal performance from Cole that conjures images of the Fine Young Cannibals ("Oooh Baby"). "Just a Touch of Love (Everyday)", "Let's Get Funkee" and "Live Happy" are far too long and seriously forgettable, even if you can shake ya booty to them.

I suppose we're left with the eternal question: Is this album of a high enough quality and/or relevant enough today to warrant actually spending hard-earned money on it? Generally, probably not, unless you're a DJ looking to capitalize on early-90's nostalgia. It might not be a bad Half.com pickup at 75 cents though. For myself, it's a gentle reminder that there was a time when I loved this stuff, and, to an extent, I still do. It's fun, it's utterly brainless, and you can dance to it--and in the end, what more do you really need?