For over twenty years fans of Claire Richards have waited for her to release her solo album. Claire has now released her eagerly awaited debut solo My Wildest Dreams and she didn’t disappoint. She has released the best pop album in recent years.
On the deluxe album, there are 15 songs, all very different, tempos mixed from slow sensual ballads to upbeat mid-tempo, toe-tapping songs. Each song gives Claire to show off her powerful voice. On My Own, the song that introduced fans to Claire as a solo artist and got them very excited about what was to come, opens the album. It’s upbeat and has positive and empowering lyrics that everyone can relate to.
It’s quickly followed by her second single End Before We Start, written by Emma Rohan, Steve Anderson and Bianca Claxton. It’s the song that kick-started the whole album Claire says when producer Steve Anderson played it for her. We can see why it’s an emotive track that talks of reasons why two people shouldn’t be in a relationship.
Shame on You, is one of our favourites of the more uptempo songs on the album. It’s catchy and has a party vibe. It’s one that makes you move.
There are some more serious ballads on the album that showcase Claire’s exceptional range and power she has in her voice. Liar and These Wings, are standout tracks. We were lucky enough to hear these two tracks performed by Claire last year in a very intimate setting. And we had got quite emotional, Liar, in particular, we had tears in our eyes by the end of it. Both are very powerful tracks. Liar is heartbreaking, beautiful and honest. Claire delivers vocals that have it lingering in your mind long after the track has finished.
Brave, is a track Claire co-wrote on and is a tribute to her two children and how they make her Brave and how she will fight for them. It’s a track that showcases not only Claire’s powerhouse vocals but her writing ability, and it’s something we hope she does more of for future albums.
My Wildest Dreams is pure pop perfection. The album was created with lots of input from Claire’s musical director Steve Anderson who produced many of the tracks as well as writing on a few. Their partnership is a dream, they have created an album where there is not one track we want to skip or don’t like. With this album, Claire has secured her position as of one of the UK’s best vocal powerhouses along with the likes of Adele and Lisa Stansfield. This is a stunning debut that will without take it’s place in pop history as one of those classic albums that every pop fan should listen to and own.
You can buy Claire’s album here.
Let us know @CelebMix your thoughts on My Wildest Dreams and share which are your favourite tracks with us!