Aimee Mann was not only the voice, no pun intended, behind 'Til Tuesday, but the selling image, the interview go-to, and the only name that anyone could/would remember associated with them! Go on, prove me wrong - name one of the other band members she sang with in 'Til Tuesday?!

Anyway, that aside, Voices Carry (or, as anyone will tell you, a song sometimes mistaken as 'Voices Scare Me'!) was with the debut album from 'Til Tuesday back in 1985. And, together with that title track complete with Mann's shrill vocals and Robert Holmes' rhythm guitar, it netted the quartet their only Top Ten hit on the Billboard charts. Indeed, the combination of Mann and Holmes set the stage for what some (most) called new-wave/synth pop, but that some dared call gothic pop!

The album lays out as the original does with a bass guitar intro to 'Love In A Vacuum,' before 'Looking Over My Shoulder,' 'I Could Get Used To This,' 'No More Crying,' 'Voices Carry,' some wicked guitar playing then brings in 'Winning The War,' 'You Know The Rest,' 'Maybe Monday,' the despair of 'Don’t Watch Me Bleed' and finally 'Sleep.'

The bonus tracks included on this glorious expanded edition include a 'Voices Carry' (Single Mix), a 'Looking Over My Shoulder' (Single Mix), and 'Love In A Vacuum' (Single Mix). In truth, being that they are all Single Mixes, two of which make their debut CD release, they don't rival the album cuts much, sadly. I'd have hoped for some 12" remixes or some such, but perhaps another day, another version.

'Voices Carry: Expanded Edition' is fully remastered and comes in a deluxe Super Jewel case with extensive liner notes - including exclusive interviews with Robert Hoimes (guitarist) and Mike Thorne. (There you go, there's two of the band names for you to remember for a future musical pop quiz! Oh, the third was Joey Pesce on keyboard!)

To bring this review full circle, their next album included a mix of tracks that have the very same synth/new wave rock sound, as well as the folky/acoustic sound that would appear on the third album. The band broke up after that. It's actually interesting to see how much their sound changed as they progressed, although the songwriting was basically the same.

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