Belinda Carlisle is one of the divas that I follow who is probably better known for being a member of a group (the historic Go-Go’s) than her solo career. However, in my gay opinion, her solo work is way more impressive. I’ve been following her career since she went solo with her single “Mad About You” in 1986. After a half of dozen pop albums in the 80’s and 90’s, Belinda released a French album called Voila in 2007, and she’s now branching out into chant/pop music with her new album, Wilder Shores.
I do yoga a couple times a week where the instructor plays new age/chant music. I’m also a huge fan of Donna De Lory who also does the chant/pop thing. Where Donna De Lory emphasizes the chant side of the music, Belinda goes full-on pop. Belinda sounds as good today as she did on “We Got The Beat” back in the early 80’s. The majority of the nine songs on Wilder Shores are Kundalini mantras with an upbeat vibe. I may not speak the language but that doesn’t stop me from “singing” along in the car. However, the beautiful ballads “Light Of My Soul” and “Long Time Sun” have positive lyrics I do understand. The album ends with a reworked, stripped-down version of Belinda’s biggest solo hit “Heaven Is A Place On Earth” that concludes Wilder Shores perfectly.
After almost forty years of making music and a shockingly honest autobiography that came out in 2010, Belinda is still going strong. After listening to Wilder Shores (especially “Har Gobinday”) with it’s marriage of eastern and western sounds, I’m left wondering if there are any gay Bollywood movies? With all the hot guys, musical numbers, flash mob dancing, and millions of sequins most of the movies are already half way there. If Bollywood ever does one, Belinda needs to do the soundtrack because she would rock it.
