Stacey Q - Better Than Heaven (2 CD Edition) (2022)

Two CD collection featuring the ten original album tracks plus all the related bonus material, sourced and mastered from the original analogue tapes from the Atlantic archives.
Stacey Q was one of the myriad of Madonna wannabes who saturated the airwaves in the mid-’80s, but, unlike many of the pack, her debut album Better Than Heaven showed panache and a knowledge that she shouldn’t take herself too seriously. The sexy monster hit “Two of Hearts,” synthesized and insistent, benefited greatly from Q’s breathy, little-girl vocals, while “We Connect,” her only other venture into the Top 40; “Music out of Bounds,” which doesn’t seem to mean a thing; “Love or Desire”; and “Dancing Nowhere” all followed in the same vein, without being a blueprint of the lead single. She does stray from the sex-kitten image on some cuts, and it is a cotton-candy result: lighter than air, but a tasty treat. The title track is a sweet ode to love; “He Doesn’t Understand” is repetitive to the point where she’s practically chanting, but the effect is almost lulling; and “Don’t Let Me Down” is so frothy the song practically floats. Her vocals, hardly noteworthy, are perfect for this type of pop, and with a voice so limited, anyone can sing along. Though she became more experimental with successive albums, Better Than Heaven is Stacey Q’s most accessible and most enjoyable work. – AMG

CD 1: features the original LP version of ‘Better Than Heaven’ including the shorter album version of ‘Two of Hearts’, plus versions of her singles, ‘Two of Hearts (Q-Mix Edit)’, ‘We Connect (Dance Radio Edit)’, ‘Insecurity (Guitar Mix)’, ‘Music Out of Bounds (Edit)’ and the 7” B-side ‘Dancing Nowhere’.

CD 2: is crammed full of 12” mixes and remixes of ‘Two of Hearts’ – the European Dance Mix, Q-Mix, Original Mix, Instrumental and the CD Album Version; ‘We Connect’ – Q-Mix, Safari Mix and the 12” Dance Radio Edit; ‘Insecurity’ – USA Dance Mix, Instrumental and Bonus Beats 1 & 2; ‘Music Out of Bounds’ – Out of Bounds Mix and Instrumental version.