Cher’s Brilliant Comeback

When I was growing up I was lucky enough to have parents who knew the importance of music. They always strived to expose me to new artists, genres and albums, and because of this, I became an old soul in the world of music.

From the time I was five years old dancing around the kitchen in fake plastic heels to “Jesse James,” by Cher, I have always been prone to listening to music that came before me. Therefore, naturally, I was beyond excited when I heard that Cher was releasing a comeback album this week!

Cher’s new album, titled Closer to Truth, really embodies her classic sound with a modern flare. Many artists of her era stick with reworking the same album they put out in 1985 and releasing a remastered version as a comeback. Cher has made a statement with this album: that she is grateful for her past and the career she established, but she is ready to embrace the changes in the industry and rework the artist that she is.

The album pulls from her classic sound and vocal performances, while adding hints of techno and electronic sounds. The first song on the album “Woman’s World,” brings together the club-sound of the 1980’s with underlying tones of today’s Pop song structure.

It is very difficult for an artist who had the peak of their career years ago to come out with a comeback album that highlights who they were, but also, who they can still be.

My favorite song on the album is “Lie to Me.” I always prefer ballads over up-tempo music. When songs have deeper, more emotional meaning to them, I think it is easier for the listener to connect. One of the reasons I love Cher so much the tonal quality she has in her voice, because you can really hear the emotion in it when she performs. With “Lie to Me” in particular, you can hear her plea for something more, which really touches your heart if you’ve ever been hurt by love before.

This album is a perfect release for this time of year. Autumn is all about change; it’s a crossover, and with the change of the leaves comes change in all aspects of our life. I think Cher is exemplifying this by choosing to release Closer to Truth when she did. This is a crossover album for her that is showing her change as a performer and I think she has gone about that very successfully.

Cher did not completely reinvent herself with this album. Whether you have always been a fan, or are listening for the first time you will still gain a sense of who Cher was and what she’s always represented. I have heard many comeback albums, especially from the time I started writing reviews, and I have to say that this may just be the best. There is a fine line, with an album such as this, between coming off as desperate for the spotlight again and not trying to gain fame at all. I believe that Cher balances these two sides very well, and I think whether you have always loved her, or have never heard her music before, you need to give this album a listen.

Cher is coming back with a vengeance representing music that actually speaks to the listener. We can only hope some current artists take notes on how it’s done.