ABC - Lexicon of Love

Homegrown soul produced by Trevor Horn and including the pop hit 'Look of Love', 'The Lexicon of Love' is bursting with hooks, clever lyrics and synthetic funk-inspired grooves that hold up better than most others from the early 1980s. ABC leader Martin Frey sings with a histrionic despair, at once naive and cynical, and all dressed up by horn and string sections that feel positively overwhelming. Such larger-than-life arrangements may seem over-the-top to some listeners, but as the soundtrack to a 'Lexicon of Love' - how else would you expect it to sound?