I hate Hot Press album review day. It's kinda like being at a school disco; unless you get there really early, and then find the courage to ask . . . well, all the cute ones are usually taken. George Byrne, Peter Murphy and Eamon Sweeney have all been here before me this morning, and I got landed with Eternal.

This is accomplished and sumptuous soul pop, MTV type soul ballads, with videos where beautiful pretend African-American princesses parade around a Palm Springs swimming pool and convince the rest of us that all America lives like this. Frequently I find this stuff just a little too rich for my blood, but there are some interesting moments on offer. 'If She Breaks My Heart' is a revelation, a straightforward offering that proves that simplicity is often best.

Ultimately, though, I give up. The work presented seems to me to lack a real sexuality, and substituted schmaltz doesn't make the grade. If I really need to hear an all-girl soul band when I trip into my Millennium, it's not going to be Eternal. Gimme the Supremes every time, or even the Pointer Sisters . . . or Sister Sledge . . . or Bananarama . . . anybody else!