After exploding onto the charts with her debut album Out Of The Blue in 1987, Debbie Gibson quickly racked up an impressive string of international hits. Singles from her debut, such as ‘Only In My Dreams’, ‘Foolish Beat’ and ‘Shake Your Love’, quickly made her a household name.

Her second album, Electric Youth was a US chart-topper, selling millions of copies around the world and included the signature song ‘Lost In Your Eyes’. It was followed by 1990’s ambitious Anything Is Possible and finally, what was to be her last album for Atlantic Records, fan favorite Body Mind Soul.

Originally released January 1993 on Atlantic Records and including material co-written and/or produced by award-winning hitmakers Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers (Rythm Syndicate), Elliot Wolff, Carole Bayer-Sager, Narada Michael Walden and Phil Ramone, this brand new Body Mind Soul: Deluxe Edition expands the original 11-track release over two discs.

This delightful fan favorite, which saw Debbie embracing urban pop trends and includes the US Hot 100 hit ‘Losin’ Myself’ (#86), her last solo UK chart entry ‘Shock Your Mama’ (#74) and promotional single ‘Free Me,’ is the fourth and final installment in Cherry Pop’s series of Debbie Gibson classic album reissues.

CD 1: Body Mind Soul
1. Love Or Money
2. Do You Have It In Your Heart?
3. Free Me
4. Shock Your Mama
5. Losin’ Myself
6. How Can This Be?
7. When I Say No
8. Little Birdie
9. Kisses 4 One
10. Tear Down These Walls
11. Goodbye
12. Love Or Lust (Non-album B-side) [Bonus Track]
13. Eyes Of The Child (Japan Exclusive CD Bonus Track) [Bonus Track]
14. Shock Your Mama (The London Apprentice Edit) [Bonus Track]
15. Losin’ Myself (Radio Mix) [Bonus Track]

Appearing on disc one, the original Body Mind Soul album is complimented by four additional bonus tracks, including non-album B-side ‘Love Or Lust’, the previously Japanese-only exclusive track ‘Eyes Of The Child’, plus the 7” versions of the two single releases, ‘Losin’ Myself’ and ‘Shock Your Mama’.

It must be difficult for a teen sensation - of any decade - to bridge herself from her own self-inflicted goody two-shoes labeling to a modern, respectable artist. Debbie Gibson is such an artist, having penned nearly all of her songs and produced a good amount as well.

OK, sure, Body Mind Soul is not the tragedy that Tiffany’s New Inside turned out to be, but it sadly wasn’t as well received by everyone external to her hardcore fan base as all had hoped for, me included.

On this fourth and final album for Atlantic, whether she asked to be or not, Debbie was saddled with writing help from Sturken and Rogers, who admittedly brought Donny Osmond some of his better late-80’s material. Her collaborations with them (aside from ‘Love or Money’) are not the best, in my humble opinion, just favoring being rhythmically incessant over striving for melodic class.

Simply put, Debbie was made to turn from being a highly successful, solo female songstress (of that, there was no doubt) into a female neo-New Kids on the Block! To Gibson’s credit though, the best songs are those written wholly by her, such as the light and charming ‘Little Birdie’ (an indicator of where her career would eventually lead re: Broadway) and the forceful power pop ala Janet Jackson, of the much underrated, totally awesome dance song, Shock Your Mama.

‘When I Say No’ is a finely tuned pop song on the surface, albeit one carrying the message that unwanted sexual persuasion is intolerable, throughout the lyrics. An even bolder message follows on ‘Kisses For One,’ which not so subtly speaks against the danger of AIDS.

So, yeah, sure, in yearning for a new direction, it is clear now that Debbie may well have taken some musical missteps here, perhaps mistaking fad for maturity, one being the song chosen as the first single, ‘Losin’ Myself,’ in which she portrays a stripper, being the rubber stamp on that theory, but overall, it is a home run amongst us fans (and that is what counts for more with Debbie herself, trust me).

As for the four new bonus tracks now included, Love Or Lust (Non-album B-side) is a BRILLIANT slice of aggressive pop that would have lit the damn charts up back then! For those wondering, it was the the B-side of the British version of Shock Your Mama. The almost-spiritually harmonized balladry of Eyes Of The Child (Japan Exclusive CD Bonus Track) is a beauty to beyond also, and then we get an Edit of Shock Your Mama (The London Apprentice Edit), which resembles her percappella mix, the last track being the Losin’ Myself (Radio Mix).

CD 2: Remixes
1. Losin’ Myself (12” Masters At Work)
2. Losin’ Myself (Masters At Work Dub)
3. Free Me (Extended Mix)
4. Losin’ Myself (G-Man / Marz “Hot” Mix)*
5. Losin’ Myself (G-Man / Marz Alternate “Hot” Mix)
6. Kisses 4 One (Percapella)
7. Losin’ Myself (T-Ray’s Hip Hop)*
8. Losin’ Myself (T-Ray’s Acoustic Mix)
9. Free Me (Smoove Free Club Mix)
10. Losin’ Myself (Masters At Work “Hot” Mix)
11. Losin’ Myself (Masters At Work 12” Edit)
* Previously unreleased on CD

Disc two offers a host of club remixes by Masters At Work, E-Smoove, G-Man & Marz and Todd Ray, with two selections appearing here on CD for the first time.

For me, the two stand outs here amongst the almost-all pure, unadulterated musical gems, are the brilliant opener Losin’ Myself (12” Masters At Work) and the Free Me (Smoove Free Club Mix), but come on now, do we really need nine expanded/extended/remixed different versions of the very same song over and over?

Official 2CD Purchase Link