A great pop album, like they don't make 'em anymore !

When Samantha Fox released this album in the late 80's, she reached the peak of her popularity. It spawned three succesful singles (the title track, "I Only Wanna Be With You" and "Love House"), and heralded her first-ever world tour.

What surprises the most with this album is how good it still sounds today. The big variety of producers makes it for quality listening, and it's an album that doesn't stall on the same sound twice. Most people were turned off by the fact that Samantha was a former porn star, and that she didn't have the most powerful voice in the world, but hey, she could still carry a pop tune and make you feel what it's about.

There were many, many great moments on this album. Of course, the three singles were fantastic ("Love House" was even totally ripped by Madonna on her classic "Vogue" single - same beat, same funky piano solo near the end), but I always wondered why there weren't more singles from the album. "Ready For This Love" in particular is a magnificent pop song, highly danceable and almost euphorical; if this one doesn't put you in a good mood, then chances are you're already dead. "One In A Million" was also a very catchy dance song, very energetic; and "Hot For You" was arguably one of the album's best songs, adding a surprising rock and roll touch to an album that was mostly dance and pop. It was a nice reminder that Samantha had initially opted for a rock and roll orientation for her career. "Confession" is also a standout, with its ambiant mood and dark edge. And the closer, the beautiful rock ballad "Out Of Our Hands", proved that she had the versatility to do a great job on ballads.

There are only a couple of duds on this album : the boring "Next To Me", which proved that Full Force had little creativity as producers and could only rely on two hooks; and "Walking On Air", too generic and repetitive for its own good.

After this album, Samantha said in interviews that she would go in the direction set by songs like "Hot For You" and "Out Of Our Hands", meaning more rock records. Unfortunately, her record company wanted to milk the dance formula to death and they hired Full Force once again to work on Sam's follow-up, the boring and half-baked "Just One Night". Thus ended the career of Samantha, proving that an artist should be the one to have creative control, and not the record company. Still, "I Wanna Have Some Fun" lived up to its title - and still does 15 years after its release.

Hit and Fail

By this album Full Force was running out of hit material for Sam, but this album is saved with "Love House" and her cheery cover of "I Only Wanna Be With You". I have to give "I Wanna Have Some Fun" credit, since it did peak at #8 on the Billboard charts, but, to todays standards it sounds very dated.

This albums worth having, but, the Japanese remix album I Wanna Have More Fun, is even better, and includes the "Love House" b-side "Don't Cheat On Me".

Samantha's mix of R&B, bubblegum, and surprises

With a successful formula on her second album, I wonder if Samantha Fox theorized that the more producers the better, a strategy that works to some extent for Jennifer Rush. In addition to the Steve Power/Steve Lovell team and that of Stock-Aitken-Waterman, I Wanna Have Some Fun boasts two songs each done by Rob and Ferdi Bolland and Fred Zarr, with others doing one song only, and yes, their distinctive styles emerge. 80's dance pop definitely predominates here, but there are a few surprises here as well.

The title track might as well be called "Naughty Girls Still Need Love." "Hello it's me again/don't you know it's hard to keep a good woman down/but then again, maybe that could be fun." After a giggle, the song begins in earnest with a funky bass backbeat and harmonies by the Full Force boys and some monologue rap in the middle.

"Are you ready to do things tonight that you never dreamed were possible? Follow me." With that spoken intro, we get "Love House", a more danceable single, which has harmony vocals, a cacophony of rap-scratched words, strange voices, special effects, and ominous vocals of the guide of the house. I initially thought this was produced by Full Force, because of the heavy bass beat but it's a Bollands production. I really enjoyed my visit to this house, all right.

Samantha must have really fallen in love with drum machines and bass beats, as "Your House Or My House" mixes those and sundry keyboards, computerized voices, and a strong backing chorus and monologue by Sam. Pure dance pop, call it Stock-Aitken-Waterman vanilla with some chocolate mousse and sprinkles.

The Full Force-produced "Next To Me" is similar to but injects a trice more fizzy pop to Full Force's 80's R&B formula.

Fred Zarr produced "Ready For This Love," a spright thumping drum machines and funky synths that resembles something Kim Wilde might have done on her Close album, also released in 1988.

Power and Lovell were responsible for the haunting "True Devotion" on her eponymous album. They do another one, "Confession", which explores sin in a religious aspect, only this time, a heavy bass synth beat, drum track, quick bursts of string synths, and satanically deep voice saying things like "Je t'accuse." The rhythm reminds me somewhat of Mick Jagger's "Just Another Night."

Then comes the two typical S-A-W bubblegum songs, the first one, a single, being a cover of Dusty Springfield's "I Only Wanna Be With You." It's only fair to give Foxy a 60's song after Kylie did "The Locomotion," right? "You Started Something" is of a slightly slower tempo, though the sound is unmistakable. On both these songs, Foxy blows the S-A-W bubblegum without it messily sticking on her face like those who don't chew Hubba Bubba gum-remember those commercials?

If S-A-W was upbeat, then what does one call "One In A Million"? S-A-W songs on steroids? The Bollands produced this song, with a rapid fire chorus and a sound Bananarama would've peeled their skins for, there's even a fierce guitar solo midsong. A must have on any disco mix tape.

"Walking On Air", produced by Fred Zarr, is more Kim Wilde, Close-era pop and reduced the BPM compared to the previous barnburner.

The next song, "Hot For You" boasts synths but also a guitar that's alternatively wails and grinds like light metal. Is she trying to do Pat Benatar or Vixen, I ask, complimenting the laudable guitar solo that could fit in 80's pop-metal? Nothing wrong with the song.

"Out Of Our Hands" is another atmospheric Power and Lovell ballad, sporting piano, bombastic power synths, and haunting vocals by Sam.

The variety of sounds, be it Full Force-style R&B/pop, bubblegum synth pop, or the attempt at pop-metal, makes I Wanna Have Some Fun a masterpiece for Foxy. And just think, when I first got this, I was thrown by what I perceived to be an incoherent mess.