For my money, the late Dan Hartman was a musical genius! In the Eddie Money mold of singer/songwriter, his biggest, and catchiest hit ever was (of course) 'I Can Dream About You.' But this expanded reissue of his 1979 'Relight My Fire (which was also a hit single in its own right) proved the American musician, singer, songwriter and producer still had what it took to top the U.S. dance charts for six (6) weeks.

OK, all cards on the table, the album was the follow-up to hugely-successful Instant Replay, but as much as the U.S. charts loved Relight it was sadly less successful in the UK. Indeed, it actually failed to even chart!

That said, screw it (I'm an ex-Pat!) as anything Hartman put his vocals to worked for me! Fixating on the single for a second longer, Loleatta Holloway is also credited as a featured vocalist on some versions of the record (7" and 12") singing the "strong enough to walk on through the night" refrain. The song's strings and horns were played by MFSB and conducted by long time MFSB member Don Renaldo. The 12" version includes a 4½-minute intro called Vertigo, often used in discos as a floorfiller before the song begins; this 11:22 version is available on Hartman's 1994 hits package titled Keep the Fire Burnin'.

Now, as for this newly-expanded, just-released across the Pond CD, the entire album is one long party animal of songs, trust me! Boundless musical energy captured in one CD, as per the norm; it has to be said with Hartman, on the album opener ‘Hands Down’ we also get Stevie Wonder and Edgar Winter on harmonica and sax respectively. 'Love Strong' may well be the closest thing to a filler, but something like ‘Just For Fun’s solid groove and album closer 'Free Ride's production and lyrical skills really come to the fore. Why? Well, Hartman actually wrote for the Edgar Winter Group and thus rearranged some of the hit song's more drawn out edges to include softer, more danceable vibes.

The all-important bonus tracks included on this Expanded Edition include:

1. 'Vertigo/Relight My Fire' (12" Progressive Instrumental Remix)
2. 'Hands Down' (12" Remix)
3. 'Relight My Fire' (Single Version)
4. 'Hands Down (Hands Up)' (12" Versions)
5. 'Vertigo' (Progressive Remix)
6. 'Relight My Fire' (12" Disco Remix)

Reviewed by: Russell A. Trunk

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