Summertime/Tell Him/I’m Leaving It All Up To You/But You’re Mine/Bring It On Home To Me/Set Me Free/What Now My Love/Leave Me Be/I Look For You/Laugh At Me/Turn Around/So Fine
Wondrous World, the second album from American pop duo Sonny & Cher, was rather less successful than their debut. Includes the top twenty single But You're Mine, plus the top ten Sonny solo release Laugh At Me. (US:34 UK:15)
"For their second album, Sonny and Cher largely dropped both the overt Spectorisms and derivative folk-rock of their debut. 1966's Wondrous World instead refines the two into an utterly unique blend. There were few protest songs as dazzlingly arranged as Laugh At Me, originally released as a Sonny solo single. Much of the album consists of covers, all given the inimitable Sonny and Cher treatment. Even this early in her career, Cher seems certain that attitude counts for more than innate talent."
"Sonny & Cher did some great singles, but outside of the three hit singles and a few original Sonny penned songs, it's all cover versions. They're okay, but not the calibre of songs that Sonny actually wrote that were their biggest hits."
"This second Atco 1966 LP is filled with great pop tunes. Set Me Free has the Sonny and Cher harmonies in good stead. They make that Kinks tune their own. What Now My Love is the most poignant version with Sonny and Cher acting the song with conviction. The Spectoresque production builds with honest emotion, and the duo sound like a unified act. Sonny's anthem Laugh At Me is a plaintiff force."
"Wondrous World pales next to their first LP. It's fun and sincere in tone, but it makes no artistic breakthrough, and strangely there are few original Bono song compositions. It does include a Sonny and Cher classic in What Now My Love. The image of Sonny and Cher is here in music form, in their many duets about love. Of their three Atco original LPs this is the weakest, but it is still good pop music and worth a listen."
"Listening to this album today, it struck me how well Sonny & Cher's voices blended when they harmonized. I found myself thinking that they were perfect together, for their moment in time. I love the selection of songs."
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