Think With Your Heart

by Stephen Thomas ErlewineAfter singing the Soft Boys' "I Wanna Destroy You" on the Circle Jerks' comeback album in early 1995, some listeners wondered if Debbie Gibson's fifth album would see her jump completely on the alternative bandwagon. There was no need to worry. Think With Your Heart is a collection of soft, adult contemporary-oriented ballads that don't even have a hint of the dance-pop that sent her to the top of the charts. Perhaps that was intended as a sign of maturity, but it comes across as a lack of ideas -- by the end of the record, she has stated all of her musical concepts at least twice. The first time around, they're pleasant but it gets a little monotonous after a while. Gibson remains a talented songwriter and arranger, but she needs to push herself a bit to come up with something a bit more melodic and varied to win back her old audience.