Maid in England (1988/1989) is Divine’s fourth and final studio album, representing a shift towards pop-focused Hi-NRG produced by Stock Aitken Waterman. It is generally regarded as a cult classic, featuring iconic dance hits like "You Think You're a Man" and "I'm So Beautiful". Critics praised its energetic, "garish catchiness" and "roaring" testament to Divine's persona. The album is noted for itsHi-NRG sound, filled with frantic, syncopated beats, massed male backing vocals, and, in places, a more "saccharine-soaked" pop style compared to earlier, darker material. Features hits like "You Think You're a Man" and "I'm So Beautiful," plus covers of "Walk Like a Man" and "Twistin' the Night Away". Overall, the album is viewed positively by fans and critics of the genre, considered a must-have for those looking for 80s club classics.
Having spent a considerable amount of his time within the gay community Divine had been exposed to the communities own niche music, at that time referred to as ‘Boystown’ – so when approached by New York based Bobby Orlando in 1981 it seemed almost natural for Divine to enter a new career phase, this time emerging as a ‘singer’ – all the early tracks were written by Orlando aka Bobby O and were initially released on his own ‘O’ Records including ‘Native Love’, ‘Shake It Up’ and ‘Shoot Your Shot’ – these tracks characterised by strident beats generally at around 160bpm, overlaid with repetitive keyboards and what sounded like cowbells were initially only heard in gay friendly clubs, but the sound began to spread and brought Divine to the attention of UK based PWL Records, the in house label/production facility of Pete Waterman, then home to Kylie Minogue – PWL were responsible for arguably watering down ‘Boystown’, re-branding it as ‘Hi-NRG’ and selling it to the masses via Hazel Dean, Dead Or Alive.
‘Maid In England’ does not contain any of the Orlando material; instead concentrating on the PWL and beyond era as such we get mega hits like ‘You Think You’re a Man’, ‘I’m So Beautiful’ and ‘Walk Like A Man’ – This is a CD with a strange history, initially released a few months after his death, and wrongly billed as Divine’s first album, the record compiled all of the post Orlando material in one neat package and was put out by UK based label Dance Trax entitled ‘Made In England’ – this same title was later used to re-release all the Bobby Orlando material, even the covers were the same bar a switching of flags from US to UK; the album has been sold as ‘The Best Of Divine – Native Love’ and remains available as ‘Essential Divine’ amongst many other titles.
The hits will be known to everyone; you either love them or hate them; myself I prefer the early Bobby O material, those tracks were specifically written to fill poppers fuelled clubs whose dance floors were packed with leather and rubber clad gentlemen; they had a darker edge, a sense of menace, whilst ‘I’m So Beautiful’ seems like a parody, saccharine soaked pop with the naughtiness removed; that said the album does contain tracks not available on CD anywhere else which certainly makes it of interest to collectors; all the expected Hi-NRG characteristics are present, frantic syncopated beats, massed male backing vocals insistent keyboard melodies, what lifts Divine from the ranks of Hi-NRG masses are the growled vocals and the knowledge that Divine actually lived a counter culture life style as opposed to just singing about it.
The hits will be known to everyone; you either love them or hate them; myself I prefer the early Bobby O material, those tracks were specifically written to fill poppers fuelled clubs whose dance floors were packed with leather and rubber clad gentlemen; they had a darker edge, a sense of menace, whilst ‘I’m So Beautiful’ seems like a parody, saccharine soaked pop with the naughtiness removed; that said the album does contain tracks not available on CD anywhere else which certainly makes it of interest to collectors; all the expected Hi-NRG characteristics are present, frantic syncopated beats, massed male backing vocals insistent keyboard melodies, what lifts Divine from the ranks of Hi-NRG masses are the growled vocals and the knowledge that Divine actually lived a counter culture life style as opposed to just singing about it.