u/Shoddy_Nectarine4738

Now! is a fitting title for an album that, at the time, contained some of the freshest and most contemporary-sounding post-disco available in nineteen eighty-two. Although the music for France Joli's third album was made for the new club milieu of New York, after the disco crash of nineteen seventy-nine, at its core it is a continuation of disco. Just on a smaller budget and making use of a small core of musicians, and the latest in studio technology in the form of the Prophet 5 polysynth. The string arrangements hark back to the previous era, though.

Ray Reid, who was a member of New York band Crown Heights Affair, is in charge of production on Now! and it's his background that gives the album so much vitality; his choices keep the music fresh while providing the right framing for France Joli to shine.

The opening track is a good example of what to expect on the album. 'Your Good Lovin'' has a delightfully squelchy bass line that wriggles its way through the whole track, syncopated funk rhythm with equally rhythmic guitar, and there are subdued strings in the mix too. The breakdown is fun, with France Joli being wonderfully playful. The whole vibe of 'Your Good lovin'' is joyful, a celebration of desire, albeit in a classy manner.

Up next is the dramatic and defiant breakup song 'Gonna Get Over You' where you get the impression France Joli is using her own experiences to emotionally charge her performance. She claims to be "over you", but there's doubt there. A sadness undercutting the denial. The string arrangement by Giuliano Salerni really adds a melodramatic but melancholy element; they contrast well with the spirited funk rhythm, which themselves contrasts with the morose bass. A great track, one of France Joli's finest.

Initially, 'Can We Fall in Love Again' feels a little formulaic, but the production is spacious and quite different from the preceding track, allowing the music to breathe and expand. It has a widescreen feel, sweeping and dramatic, windswept, France Joli emotionally exposed, hopeful love can heal the pain of loneliness. Musically similar to the previous track, 'I Wanna Take a Chance on Love' also treads similar musical themes yet is another excellent track. The churning rhythm, seething bass, and hacking rhythm guitar create a feeling of doubt, which is doubled during the breakdown, underscoring the lyrics where France Joli offers herself and her love, optimistic that this time it will work out. You can hear real desire in her voice.

After the drama and passion of side one, we have the title track, which is a far lighter and romantic affair. It's quite a relief. Lyrically, we find France Joli with what she fervently desired for. Love. 'Now!' is such a sweet song that has an easygoing rhythm and lovely backing vocals, while France Joli herself sounds thankful, all confusion dispelled.

'I'm Still Thinking of You' is a ballad that features a scintillating piano and string arrangement. The bass is buoyant, and the rhythm is easygoing. Head in the clouds stuff, while the vocals are optimistic and content. Doubt is banished; the song is a sweet hymn to love. Running for three and a half minutes is just long enough to avoid being too saccharine.

After these two songs about being contented and feeling the bliss of being in love, we return to France Joli yearning for that love. For someone to provide an emotional shelter, the other half to make her whole. It is on 'I Need Someone' where we hear France Joli at her best. Her vocals are so achingly beautiful, so wonderfully hurt yet optimistic. The anguish in her voice is
palatable. The music reflects these feelings so well. The bass digs deep; it churns and agitates, an emotional fault line. The strings sting and cut brightly. While the rhythm drags the whole thing along irresistibly, it won't give in. Like France Joli, it keeps going despite the heartache within the core of 'I Need Someone'.

'Everlasting Love' is a fitting end to Now!. After the emotional turmoil of 'I Need Someone' the only response would be a song where France Joli gets what she always wanted, a love that is forever. Anything else would be nothing. Of course there is an undercurrent of melancholy here. Will the love be everlasting, or will there be another urgent search for love? Superficially, this last track is hopeful, but there's still doubt as the song drifts out of earshot like a fading dream.

Hello, does anyone have any nu-disco recommendations from the past five years or so? Anything along the lines of Midnight Magic or Silver Linings.

Sorry, but it feels as if GGG have gone too far with bloat. Lots of fussy content and extra currency. It just feels like they had too many ideas and didn't want to drop any of them. While ignoring what most wanted, a new class(es) and weapon(s).