This Week's Forgotten Gem of the '80s - 'Til Tuesday's "Coming Up Close"

As one of the most consistently excellent songwriters and performers of the last 25 years, Aimee Mann stands out as one of the premier '80s artists capable of completely transcending the circumstances of her emergence. In other words, from the post-new wave band she led throughout the '80s all the way through her still vital solo career, Mann has operated almost exclusively without compromise. In fact, in spite of battling constantly against record company and music industry restrictions, 'Til Tuesday released some of the finest, intricately crafted mainstream guitar pop of the decade. Since then, Mann has smoothly taken the evolving singer-songwriter genre into its golden age.

"Coming Up Close" may or may not be the group's best tune, as another dozen or so could compete admirably for that title, but it certainly reveals Mann's melodic gifts and elegant, layered approach to songwriting that has always informed her work. And although 'Til Tuesday's music occupied a much more accessible zone of pop/rock than her edgier solo work of the '90s and this decade, that doesn't mean Mann's '80s compositions are any less dense or literate than her later efforts. So, if you think of this band only in terms of the indisputably brilliant 1985 single "Voices Carry", then do yourself the overdue musical favor of exploring 'Til Tuesday's impressive but little-heard catalogue. There you'll find the roots of one of contemporary music's most arresting talents.

• Sample or download "Coming Up Close" here.
• Compare prices on 'Til Tuesday CDs here.
• Aimee Mann's Official Website

Album Cover Photo Courtesy of Epic Records