There might actually be a very little number of things better than a surprise duet between a Ukrainian burlesque diva and a European dance group that sounds like a glittering amalgamation of all the 80’s glam and disco hits blended into one.
Olya Polyakova, a burlesque Ukrainian performer and singer based in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, is a superb talent, and her performance on this latest single is a testimonial to her ridiculous range and unerring control. Just listening to her vocal acrobatics on ‘Love Is Blue’ is enough to make this a fun listen on its own, so it is a plus that the music is so heavily loaded with color and personality to go along with the fantastic vocal talent.
Teaming up with Euro dance group Army of Lovers, sounding as bombastic as Alphaville or Modern Talking, as glamorous as Baccara, and as dramatic as Gloria Gaynor, ‘Love Is Blue’ is a song of essentially modernized 80s stylings. The operatic composition, booming drums with a deep pocketed groove, the effervescent, massive, granular pads, and the commandeering choir, ‘Love Is Blue’ is an immensely entertaining listen, regardless of the draw 80s music has on you. This is just a well put together song.
This single will be included in the upcoming album of the Swedish Army of Lovers, and if all the music on the album sounds as empowering or as fresh as ‘Love Is Blue’ then we might be having quite a good time ahead of us. In any case, ‘Love Is Blue’ is an unexpected teaming up that produced such a powerful result that impresses on its own.