2001 album produced by the likes of Metro (the team behind Believe), Chicane, Stargate and Rick Knowles (who has written for Ronan Keating, N Sync and Texas). No US release until 2002. 12 tracks in all including the first single, 'The Music's No Good Without You'.

Musical tastemakers regularly praise Madonna as the ultimate age-defying, Zeitgeist-surfing female diva. But what about Cher? The 60s hippychick who was enjoying chart hits while Madonna was still in rompers has consistently reinvented herself with poise and panache; hence, her latest dance-inspired offering Living Proof. Unlike with Madge, there have been Golden Globes and Oscars along the way, and 1998s mega-smash "Believe", released 33 years after Cher's first No. 1, remains the biggest-selling single by a female artist ever released in the UK. Given this stellar success, it's hardly surprising that, this time around, the former Mrs Sonny Bono has decided that if the music's not broken, there's decidedly no need to fix it: from exuberant opener "The Music's No Good Without You", a shameless amalgam of "Believe" and Stardust's "Music Sounds Better with You", to Living Proof, more of the same, but more so. "A Different Kind of Love Song", "Love So High" and "(This Is) A Song for the Lonely" are destined to pack provincial dance floors the length of Britain, and it would be a churlish soul indeed who denied that this is infectious HiNRG disco par excellence. At this rate, you wouldn't bet against her managing another 30 years. --Ian Gittins

This one's definitely for the gay boys I'd buy it just for the photos showcasing Cher's latest wig collection. A friend of my bought this CD late Novemeber 2001 in Paris, and it was probably the highlight of his trip. The CD tested very well among the gay club kids, all of whom are dying to hear Cher's follow-up to the "Believe" album. The dance remixes of the European lead-off single, "The Music's No Good Without You", has began to show up at clubs. I'm not to crazy about the remixes I've heard (and downloaded) so far. Where are you, Peter Rauhofer???? Catchy songs: "Rain, Rain", "A Different Kind of Love", "Body to Body, Heart to Heart" (Latin beats). Lastly, every Cher gay is going to have an opinion about her inclusion of "Love One Another". This is a remake of a very popular club song by another club queen, Amber (of "Sexual" fame). (...) Cher's album version has clearer pronuciation and it's not too shabby. I'd give it a thumps-up! For the Gay Boys, December 3, 2001 Reviewer: anh_dx from East Norriton, PA United States [ read more ] >>

If the fans who grooved to Believe still clamor for more, there's little doubt that Living Proof will quickly achieve the same chromatic status as Cher's new hair color. The multitalented entertainer is placing a safe bet on the fortitude of her latest incarnation as disco diva to support a second album of dance club tracks. Other pop femme fatales of late are experimenting with subtleties in rhythm and nuance, but subtlety is not one of Cher's selling points. She's been quoted as comparing "Song for the Lonely" to U2's sound; indeed, through Cher's discofied ears, there are brief moments where the track riffs on U2's euphoric "Beautiful Day" and the two songs share a hopeful sentiment. "Love So High" and "Body to Body, Heart to Heart" throw the prerequisite Latin guitar and percussion into the mix, and the buzzing back beats on her cover of "Love One Another" (last heard on Dutch singer Amber's self-titled release) make it one of the CD's tightest songs. Cher's vocals--a taste we've had more than 35 years to acquire--are strong, and her production team enhances her limited range with studio tricks. [ read more ] >>