Welcome Home

iTunes Review

Welcome Home should be remembered as the moment when Aimee Mann came into her own as a singer and songwriter. Her band ‘Til Tuesday had scored a hit single two years earlier with “Voices Carry.” But the synthesizer-driven angst of the quartet’s first album gave little indication of how good their second release would be. Songs like “Angels Never Call,” ”No One Is Watching You Now” and the absolutely stunning “David Denies” soar like gorgeous towers of minor-key melancholia. She shows an affinity for British Invasion pop with bouncy tunes like “Will She Just Fall Down” and slides into a seductive groove on “What About Love.” The yearning “Coming Up Close” reveals the story-telling skills Mann would further develop as a solo artist in the ‘90s. Musically, the cool keyboard gloss of ‘Til Tuesday’s debut is played down in favor of a bolder guitar sound, complimenting Mann’s aching vocal style. Though it was a commercial disappointment when first released, Welcome Home proved to be an unequivocal artistic success that confirmed Mann as a major talent.