I am lucky enough to be one of the few people to have 5 Wild Orchid cds.  For those of you wondering if they are worth bootlegging or backordering, I thought I'd take the liberty of reviewing the individual songs for you.

 

Wild Orchid -   3.5 flowers

At Night I Pray -   It's good - all WO ballads rock - but it's predominantly Stacy for shock value.  WO never needed to resort to gimmicks like that. I really do love the lyrics, though.

 

Supernatural - I'm a sucker for songs that feature all 3 girls equally.  The first thing I noticed about this song was that the music was really fun.  Although many people criticize it as a "black song", if you take the music away (which they did on MTV's Oddville) it becomes a completely different song and you get to hear the vocals more.

 

I Won't Play the Fool - It was good, but at times, it started to get really depressing.  Not really one of their best ballads.  Oddly, there wasn't much Stacybelting.

 

Talk to Me - About the only thing I didn't like was the endless chorus of "La-la"s.  (There's even a remix that has about 5 extra minutes of them!).  It's a good sample of everybody, though it is essentially Stacy's song.   Again, the music makes the song.  This is probably the only WO song that most people know (which is very, very sad, but that's just my opinion).

 

The River - There's a real religious/water theme going with this CD.  I didn't like this song because it didn't feel like it was WO's.  Any other singer or group could have done it easily.  I think that ultimately, it's supposed to be about the fleeting nature of relationships...but I didn't really get it.  It sounded as if the girls were in Chorus class singing from the lyric sheets. It wasn't "their" song.

 

You Don't Own Me - This song could have done fairly well had it been a single.  This is the formula that makes for a good WO song - Renee to lure you in, Stefanie to keep you there...and Stacy to knock you out!  It's different, and the lyrics are pretty good.

 

My Tambourine - Now this should have been a single. WHY WASN'T THIS A SINGLE? Even BEP knows that a song alluding to ass = instant hit. Multiply it by the fact that this song has 3, and guys would have had an extra chance to ogle Fergie's humps. Perhaps it was before its time.  The music is good, and way to work that metaphor, ladies.  I just have one tiny little problem with the song - what guy writes something like this for his baby sister?? LOL Don't mind me...

 

Follow Me - This will be WO's signature fantastic ballad for the next two albums.  Everybody sounds fantastic in it - yes, even the obligatory mic-busting Stacy moments. I also think this would have made a surreal music video. Towards the end, when it sounds like they have a chorus backing them, I defy anyone not to tear up.

 

He's Alright -  Eh.  It's not bad, but it must've been left over from when they were an En Vogue cover band 'cause it's very "Whatta Man"-ish. They just switched the rapping for reggae toasting.  Oh, and WTF was she saying???

 

Love Will Wait - A noble sentiment, given a little attention by being the B-side to "Talk to Me".  One could say it was heavy-handed in the moral department. It might have worked better on some younger teen group who were actually virgins.  Compared with "My Tambourine", it sort of gives a mixed message.

 

Life -  This song doesn't get the attention it deserves, I think.  It's virtually all vocals, WO's strong point.  Maybe it's the whispering that turns people off. Or it was in the wrong place on the CD.  Or there's the fact that Stefanie was always an enigma because you don't know her that much, and this is her song, and WO was hitting the Kids Inc fans at first, so that didn't help.  Either way, it's worth a listen.

 

 

Oxygen- 4 flowers

Be Mine - my favorite song off the CD.  It's cute, it's upbeat, and everyone's in it.  They saved Stacy for the good spots.  It was a good choice for a single, too.  If they'd waited until February, it might have gotten even farther. Even the video was cute.  Somehow, even though they are white, they lost momentum when they switched from a blacker sound. People are weird...

 

You're No Good (But I Like It) -  Umm...of all the songs on the CD, most people would know "Our Lips are Sealed" more than this - so why weren't there any lyrics? I'm still not clear on what part they added to it.  It's sort of creepy with the giggling tacked onto it. Still, it sounds good.

 

Come As You Are - Well, it's a ballad, and it has all 3 girls in it.  3 flowers right away for that much.  It was later covered, and the cover got more attention than WO's.  Grr... Managed to attract the 90210 crowd, that was good as well - except they faded out right at a good Renee moment! Damn you, Spelling! To some people, this surpassed "Follow Me".  I don't particularly feel that way myself.

 

Declaration - A Renee song!! I was so pleased this popped up, I can even overlook the fact that they don't even say "declaration" once in the whole song! How come 90210 helped "Come As You Are" and not this?  Renee has this Incredible Hulk thingy going where she's a lot stronger angry.  RCA (I feel like spitting every time I mention them) should have listened to the fans more - many, many people love Renee.  She always got that "oh, she was there the day we recorded it, so we let her in" publicity, and it really sucks. What? Oh yeah, the song! The song is good.

 

Wasted Love - Reputed to be based on a true story (Didn't know? c'mon - don't you guys ever do any research on WO? Jeez...), it's really sad, but it's supposed to be. Unlike "River" where you didn't feel anything for the people in the song, "Wasted Love" makes you want to go out and beat the crap out of this guy.

 

Our Lips are Sealed -  Well, their hearts were in the right place.  I read an article calling this a "novelty song", and I can see why.  It's that damn beat!  This is not an INOJ song.  Stacy claimed this was a rebuttal to people claiming that WO lip synchs. That's cute - but save it for some talk show appearance, or release it on the Net as a joke. Don't include it on the album.

 

Tic Toc - Um, what happened to "Love Will Wait"?  That's really the only complaint I have.  It's catchy, but it's not one of WO's greatest ballads.  The majority of Oxygen tried so hard to shake the black rep that it went too far in the other direction.  I'd rather have them compared to En Vogue than Dream any day.

 

Holding On - See "Wasted Love".  In fact, yeah - skip back to that track.  This song just feels like a rehashing of another song.

 

Take You Higher - Wow, um...LOL.  I can't hate this song.  Lyrically and artistically, it's not going to win them any awards, but they know and they don't care.  It's supposed to be a fun, nonsense song.  Of course, I recognized the CCR sample right away.  For those of you not raised on rock, it's the most memorable part from "Mama Told Me Not To Come".  Apparently, someone had a little too much tequila in the recording booth that day.  Bartender, another shot of cute on the rocks, please.

 

(That ain't the way to have fun, sonnnnnnnnnnn!)

 

Make It Easy for Me - It's not that this song isn't good - it's too good! Wow, is it powerful.  Most importantly, WO doesn't sound like they're phoning it in.  More ballads like this, and Oxygen might've caught fire (Whoops!).  The middle of the CD slumps, but the end really picks up.

 

You & Me - This is the song that, to me, surpasses "Follow Me".  It's got just the right amount of cute, and the lyrics are such that it doesn't have to be a girlfriend/boyfriend song.  I think it would be great for any people who are really close.

 

In My Room - This should have been a single! It's got a great 60's psychedelic vibe to it (I keep picturing reflecting lights and gauzy stuff), and it's not at all cute. I really like this one.

 

Fire – 5 Flowers – The only thing I didn’t like about this CD was the proposed cover art. If RCA was trying to market WO as a female *NSYNC, how come they were half-naked? The boys weren’t ever half-naked on their covers! Oh, and allegedly, they didn’t want to put pictures of the girls on their very first single, afraid people would buy it simply to look at. What happened to that idea? It’s a damn shame, because some of these songs are the best songs WO ever did, and they deserved to be heard by someone besides their loyal (but confused by this point) fans.

Stuttering – – I wonder if they actually intended to make a joke out of Renee being the one to do the near swearing. It works out really cute, though. Told you she rocks when she’s angry! It’s also a really good sampling of each girl. I have only heard this on the radio twice – some smartass radio station thought they’d be funny…and play it at 3 am! If you were a kid in the 80’s, this song will remind you of the “Miss Susie” pattycake rhymes that gave kids the chance to pretend to swear and change it at the last minute.

Just Another Girl – – Just another song written by a guy as if he were a girl. The music is really good, though. Out of all the JC songs, I don’t particularly like this one that much. Even the themed concert getup didn’t help.

Do Me Right –  – I really like this one. It’s got this haunting feel to it. Yet another song with the winning WO formula.

Simon Sez – – Uhh…despite the fact that I can’t understand what they’re saying half the time, it is catchy, I’ll give it that much. Odd to think of a WO song with only a tiny bit of Stacy in it. This song fits much better on Hypnotic.

It’s All Your Fault –  – Another great song. The music really kicks ass, and I like the lyrics. This one really should have been a single (For those of you wondering, the bit played during What Women Want is from the end of the song, and if you aren’t paying attention, you’ll miss it). <>

It’s Only Your Love – – This is it. This is the penultimate Wild Orchid ballad that blows even “Follow Me” out of the middle of the ocean. I love the lyrics, and the girls sound so pretty in this song, really. They should have put this on “Stuttering” as a B-side, or put it out as a single on its own. Please, God, do not make some cheesy dance mix of this song because you will be tried for heresy in a court of Dawne. I ain’t kidding.

Fire – – It gets a semi-decent rating for using the formula, but again, it’s a guy song in drag. I do like a few of the lyrics; I would just like them more if they were sung by guys. The part towards the end is the best. The one thing about all the JC songs is that the music is really great.

Little Bit of Lovin’-  – You see, someone had the exact same idea as I had and kept giving WO songs with the same formula, because most of the really good ones follow it. I never thought I’d say this, but I like the fact that this song leans toward the cute side. Since most of the songs on this album are on the defensive, they needed something a bit lighter.

Candlelight –  – Eh. Maybe it’s just not aimed at people like me. The last third of the CD sort of drags in my opinion. Maybe if this song had been moved up to the front half, I might have liked it better. It’s still pretty good, sort of – I hate to say sneaky – but innocent in a devilish way.

U Knew – - Hands up if you instantly knew this was written by a guy. What’s odd is that for 5 seconds, this was Renee’s favorite JC- penned song until she remembered “Just Another Girl”. I actually like this one, too, despite the lyrics. Stacy’s part is good. This song has the same pattern as “Do Me Right”, but the singing is…choppier, probably because it’s supposed to be a livelier song. You could almost have stuck this on Hypnotic as well.

One Moment – - I’m not really sure how I feel about this song. It’s nice, but it’s not very memorable. You can appreciate the vocal power in it and the sentiment, but that’s about it.

The following songs were not on any album, but still deserve some attention.

Lies –  – I want to add something about this B-side really quick; it should have been on the A-side. In fact, it should have been on Fire. This is my favorite JC song. I can see why it was a B-side, though; it goes well with “Stuttering” since it is almost a continuation of the song. In fact, it doesn’t sound like it was written by a guy! Why wasn’t this on the album? I’m glad it at least got a tiny bit of attention along with “Stuttering”.

25 Days of Christmas – – It is a WO song, technically. I think it's really unfair that Who-Owns-Us-This-Week Family Channel didn't use this song in their aggravating ad campaign, at least the chorus. It would have been good for WO and actually helped the damn channel. I understand that the lyrics weren't that family friendly, but c'mon, it was a cute song.

Paint the Sky –  - There's no Stacy in this song. Why is there no Stacy in this song? Unless she's at the end per the formula, and the credits just cut off.

At any rate, it's beautiful. So many WO songs suffered because of three little stupid letters and their lack of publicity. Me, I can't believe I watched a teenybopper movie just to hear it. Don't tell anybody.