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"Express"
Single by Dina Carroll
from the album So Close
Released3 May 1993 (1993-05-03) [1]
Genre
Length3:38
Label A&M
Songwriter(s)
  • Dina Carroll
  • Nigel Lowis
Producer(s)Nigel Lowis
Dina Carroll singles chronology
" This Time"
(1993)
"Express"
(1993)
" Don't Be a Stranger"
(1993)
Music video
"Express" on YouTube

"Express" is a song by British singer and songwriter Dina Carroll, released in May 1993 by A&M Records as the fifth single from her first album, So Close (1993). The song, co written by Carroll with its producer, Nigel Lowis, was a chart success in the UK, peaking at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it peaked at number 44 in June 1993.

Critical reception

Jon O'Brien from AllMusic noted the " jazz-funk" of the song. [2] Everett True from Melody Maker said, "'Express' kinda mixes in one of those cool jazz grooves so favoured by today's crop of happening young rappers with a female vocal which occasionally reminds me of The Lady, Aretha Franklin herself." [3] Pan-European magazine Music & Media remarked that Carroll "uses the Bowie trick of implementing a weird noise just beyond the irritation factor. Very Dina-mic dance stuff." [4] Alan Jones from Music Week gave it three out of five, writing that she "vamps it up on this pop/ funk confection, one of the lesser tracks from her outstanding debut album So Close." [5]

In an 2015 retrospective review, Pop Rescue felt that the singer's vocals are "whispery, sometimes sultry". [6] Phil Shanklin of ReviewsRevues stated that it "is unlike anything else on the album. A funky track with a honking sax – Dina comes off like a one-woman En Vogue in this club stomper." [7] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update called it a "choppy jiggler". [8] Adam Higginbotham from Select described it as "solid, tastefully-cut soul bleeding subtly into brisk garage beats" and added that it is "careful funky". [9] Another Select editor, Rupert Howe, complimented the song's "aspiration towards funkiness". [10]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Express" (7-inch radio mix 'West End Remix')
  • Dina Carroll
  • Nigel Lowis
3:38
2."Express" (12-inch master)
  • Carroll
  • Lowis
5:05
3." Special Kind of Love" ( Brothers in Rhythm remix)7:27
4." Ain't No Man" (West End remix)
  • Carroll
  • Lowis
8:00

Personnel

  • Design – Jeremy Pearce
  • Mixing – CJ Mackintosh (tracks 1, 2, 4)
  • Photography – Simon Fowler
  • Production, original mix – Nigel Lowis (tracks 1, 2, 4)

Charts

Chart (1993) Peak
position
Europe ( Eurochart Hot 100) [11] 44
Europe (European Hit Radio) [12] 39
Ireland ( IRMA) [13] 28
UK Singles ( OCC) [14] 12
UK Airplay ( Music Week) [15] 2
UK Dance ( Music Week) [16] 3
UK Club Chart ( Music Week) [17] 5

References

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 1 May 1993. p. 23.
  2. ^ O'Brien, Jon. "Dina Carroll – The Very Best of Dina Carroll". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  3. ^ True, Everett (8 May 1993). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 29. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  4. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 20. 15 May 1993. p. 15. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  5. ^ Jones, Alan (8 May 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 12. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Review: "So Close" by Dina Carroll (CD, 1993)". Pop Rescue. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  7. ^ Shanklin, Phil (2 May 2015). "100 Essential Albums- Number 86– So Close – Dina Carroll ( A&M 1993)". ReviewsRevues. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  8. ^ Hamilton, James (8 May 1993). "Djdirectory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 7. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  9. ^ Higginbotham, Adam (1 April 1993). "Reviews: New Albums". Select. p. 73. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  10. ^ Howe, Rupert (1 February 1993). "Reviews: New Albums". Select. p. 69. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 23. 5 June 1993. p. 19. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  12. ^ "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 26. 26 June 1993. p. 30. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  13. ^ " The Irish Charts – Search Results – Express". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  15. ^ "Top 50 Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. 5 June 1993. p. 14. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 15 May 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  17. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 22 May 1993. p. 4. Retrieved 9 May 2023.

External links