You guys made me a big present with this! I was never a fan of Missing Persons, only kind of tolerated them - but, having read those positive comments, decided on a whim to check it out. I turned out to be very, very good! And so unexpected - never thought Dale would be interested in this kind of music, but here we are!
First of all, about the "generic" sound - it's called minimal, as in "minimal synth", and that's the zone the album heads into. Though it's not strictly "minimal synth" in a classiс sense, more a mixture of that with darkwave, gothic overtones and even some rockier moments on a couple of songs. But I like the sparseness of the arrangements very much - the sound is not piled on, it's has a room to breathe and complements vocals greatly.
Now, as a young man I had a hard time getting into Dale's style (the problem I didn't have with her image
) - seemed contrived to a fault, all that nerviness, squeaks and hiccups. Started to warm to it with passing years, though I'd still prefer more subdued style. Anyway, here she sounds very fitting - of course her voice and style mellowed, but still have this distinctiveness. And that's not only good by itself, it also does great job of informing the album with its own something, making it stand out. This kind of music is quite popular nowadays, but most of the singers are too samey and therefore kind of lost in the crowd
With Dale it's the opposite, she stands out from the first notes. And my, does she sound great in this setting and with her style! I think the album goes into my priority listening for a while
I fully with those who highlight "Images of heaven". I recently caught some live videos by Peter Godwin where he sings it - as much as I adore the guy, it's pitiful. Here the job is done perfectly, like it was meant for them from the start! Wow! Actually the only thing I don't really approve is The Cars cover - very awkward, shouldn't have done that
Maybe something darker from Ric and the guys, like "The cruiser", would've been more appropriate? Also "This is the day" somehow rubs me off the wrong way, but then I was never a fan of this song or The The in general. That's just me, though. Otherwise it's a great album - cohesive, atmospheric and involving. Top stuff! Recommend to give it a listen without reservations.