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Anna Domino, "Dreamback: the Best of"
This collection proves that Best Of is truly a relative term. In the case of Anna Domino (nee' Anne Taylor), the term is relative to the generally poor quality of her tired, continental pop. So, Best Of need not necessarily indicate quality in and of itself. And if the songs on Dreamback are indeed the cream of Anna Domino's extensive back catalog, I think I can safely steer clear of her albums.
 
A metropolitan globetrotter and interior designer, Anna Domino settled in New York City in 1977, where she formed the group Madder Lake, contemporaries of legendary underground acts like Bush Tetras and Polyrock. She was also briefly a member of the band Mania D, who eventually became Malaria, one of the greatest of the female post-punk groups. Coming out of such a distinguished cultural milieu, I expected Anna Domino's solo work to be at least listenable. She released a handful of albums and singles on Belgium's Les Disques du Crepuscule, which explains its appearance on the LTM imprint, usually an indicator of quality. However, it seems Anna Domino had her eyes fixed on mainstream success, striving to make her pop music blend seamlessly with the ranks of other 80s pop songstresses like Madonna and Sheen Easton. Certainly influenced by her sometime collaborator Arthur Baker (also an early influence on the aforementioned Ms. Ciccone), Anna Domino deals in a brand of breathy pseudo-sophistication that seems entirely irrelevant to my ears. The bland studio sheen of the production and the prototypical assemblage of synthesized horns, drum machines and keyboards sound so much like every other forgettable 80s pop record, it's very nearly comical. If any of these songs were even slightly recognizable or catchy, the disc might at least be effective as an exercise in nostalgia. Unfortunately, Anna Domino can't even satisfy on that most pedestrian of levels. I find it absolutely incredible that her career has lasted this long; who was buying these albums? If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that her audience might be the same Europop crowd that goes in for David Hasselhoff records, but I can't be sure. 
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