Back in ’94, Tina Arena’s voice caught my ear with her single “Chains” and thirty-two years later, it’s still just as memorable. Her new EP, Way Of The World, focuses completely on her vocals, with the music soft and barely present…even a little haunting, perfect for an October release.
Way Of The World is a six-pack of covers, only half of which I know. Tina’s versions are so stripped down and bare, it made it hard to remember how the originals sounded. The EP starts out with “True Faith” the New Order hit and later in the EP are Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence” and “Ordinary World” by Duran Duran. The songs that are new to me, are just as beautiful but less relatable since “Cayendo” is bi-lingual and “Torno Bambina” is all in Italian.
In my gay opinion, the EP is definitely a gift for her fans or folks who loved the originals and are curious what they’d sound like as a stark, almost a capella ballad.
