Claire Richards is undoubtedly best-known as one fifth of Steps, the iconic British pop group who staged one of the most remarkable comebacks in music history. Following their decision to reform in 2017 for new album ‘Tears on the Dancefloor’, the group has gone on to release three hugely successful albums and a greatest hits, and have sold thousands of tickets for their arena tours and summer shows. In 2019 during some downtime from the group, Richards released her debut solo album ‘My Wildest Dreams’, which charted at number 9 on the album chart. Now with the group on hiatus once again, Richards is taking the opportunity to continue her solo interests with the release of new album ‘Euphoria’.
Unlike ‘My Wildest Dreams’, an album of original material, ‘Euphoria’ is a collection of covers and even more surprisingly, most of them are uptempo. The idea for the album can be tracked back to the pandemic when Richards performed Clareoke for her fans on YouTube. Lead single, a disco take on Celine Dion’s ‘I Surrender’, goes back even further with Richards having sung it on Steps’ ‘The Ultimate Tour’ back in 2012. It takes a brave person to take on a Celine track but Richards acquits herself well, wrapping her huge voice around the challenging track and taking it in a new uptempo direction.
For ‘Euphoria’, Richards has selected songs that she loves from singers she’s always admired such as Dion, Whitney Houston, Pat Benatar, Olivia Newton-John and Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer. A covers album is no easy thing to pull off, with artists often delivering pale imitations of the songs they are celebrating. That’s not the case for Richards, who puts her own spin on the 13 tracks included on this album. The album opens with ‘Euphora’, a cover of Loreen’s 2012 Eurovision-winning track, which has had a resurgence thanks to Loreen winning the contest again earlier this year. Richards performed the song during her Eurovision Village performance and it’s a song that suits her down to the ground.
There are two collaborations on the record – a cover of Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand’s ‘No More Tears (Enough is Enough)’ with Delta Goodrem and a cover of ABBA’s ‘Summer Night City’ with Erasure’s Andy Bell. The former pairs two of pop’s finest singers for a true highlight on the album while the latter plays into the camper sides of both Steps and Erasure to great effect. Both collaborators work well with Richards and the songs are fun additions to the record.
Elsewhere Richards puts a dancier spin on Whitney Houston’s ‘So Emotional’, pushing her voice to new places in the process, she has fun on the bouncy version of Laura Branigan’s ‘Gloria’ and leans into synth-rock on her excellent version of Pat Benatar’s classic ‘Love is a Battlefield’. Richards is truly in her element on the Olivia Newton-John cover ‘Xanadu’, which sounds like it’s a song that was always meant for her to sing.
The Deluxe Edition of the album features an additional 6 tracks, which are remixes. If you like your pop to pack a harder beat, then these tracks will be a welcome inclusion. My favourite is the Le Flex Poolside Remix of ‘So Emotional’, which gives it a laidback Ibiza vibe.
‘Euphoria’ is an unashamedly all-out pop record and it’s refreshing to hear Richards tackling a body of upbeat songs. We all know she loves a ballad but she has a voice that’s so versatile, she can sing anything. While I do prefer the original material that made up her debut album ‘My Wildest Dreams’, I heartily recommend this new collection of banging covers. ‘Euphoria’ is a perfect way to entertain yourself while we patiently wait for new Steps music and it’s another sure-fire success for Richards, who is the only member of the band to truly make a mark as a solo artist and one of the best voices in pop.
Track listing: 1.Euphoria 2. Song for the Lonely 3. No More Tears (Enough is Enough) (with Delta Goodrem) 4. So Emotional 5. I Surrender 6. Summer Night City (with Andy Bell) 7. This Time I Know It’s For Real 8. Never Trust a Stranger 9. Gloria 10. Never Knew Love Like This Before 11. Love is a Battlefield 12. Xanadu 13. Goodbye to Love Deluxe Edition tracks – 14. I Surrender (7th Heaven Remix Edit) 15. No More Tears (Enough is Enough) (with Delta Goodrem) (Steve Anderson Extended Disco Mix) 16. Never Knew Love Like This Before (Mastercuts Extended Mix) 17. Song For The Lonely (7th Heaven Remix Edit) 18. So Emotional (Le Flex Poolside Remix) 19. Euphoria (Orchestral Mix) Record label: Demon Release date: 25th August 2023 Buy ‘Euphoria’ now
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