Sally Shapiro’s Disco Romance is everything the title suggests it is. It’s a disco record, and it’s romantic, but moreover, it’s an album in love with disco. It’s a red wine and roses love affair, hearts pitter-pattering and awash in daydreams. Shapiro and producer Johan Agebjörn have created a beautiful, alive and pulsating electronic pop record that’s as much about shaking it as it is about getting in touch with the deepest of human emotions. Think early Madonna, recent Kylie, or Annie’s “Heartbeat,” but touched up with hazy filters and rain-streaked windows. “I’ll Be By Your Side” is as catchy and streamlined as pop singles go, but still, there’s a mystique and a romanticism to it that’s rare in songs of its kind. “I Know” is a bit more soulful in its use of Rhodes piano, though the fluttering synths send it straight back to the flickering disco lights. Disco Romance is a beautiful and buoyant record, one that feels much more real and human than anyone thought could ever have come from such a hedonistic genre.
--Jeff Terich
