It's perhaps easy to expect too much after the stellar debut single "Chains." That's not to say Arena's debut offers nothing to the listener; it could have been far worse, since top session men Tim and John Pierce and drummer Pat Mastelotto (the Rembrandts, King Crimson) don't appear for nothing.
Even so, a lot of Don't Ask remains twee.
However, there are good moments in the shape of showcase single "Chains," power ballad "Heaven Help My Heart" and the bouncy closing track "Standing Up." There's room for improvement then, although Arena can deliver some fine vocals, and David Tyson (Alannah Myles, Amanda Marshall) supplies some equally fine production.
The gorgeous "Sorrento Moon" suggests Arena may yet become the Astrud Gilberto of Australia.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChainsTina Arena, Pam Reswick, Steve Werfel | Tina Arena | Play | 04:21 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 2 | Sorrento Moon (I Remember)Tina Arena, David Tyson, C.J. Ward | Tina Arena | Play | 04:54 | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| 3 | Wasn't It GoodTina Arena | Tina Arena | Play | 05:13 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 4 | Show Me HeavenMaria McKee, Jay Rifkin | Tina Arena | Play | 04:22 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 5 | Greatest GiftTina Arena | Tina Arena | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 6 | Standing UpTina Arena, R. Price | Tina Arena | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 7 | Chains (S&M Radio Edit) | Tina Arena | Play | 04:09 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 8 | Heaven Help My Heart (Album Version) | Tina Arena | Play | 05:28 | 12 MB | 37 MB |
| 9 | Message (Album Version) | Tina Arena | Play | 05:21 | 12 MB | 34 MB |
| 10 | Love Is The Answer (Album Version) | Tina Arena | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 11 | That's The Way A Woman Feels (Album Version) | Tina Arena | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 12 | Be A Man (Album Version) | Tina Arena | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 54 mins | 124 MB | |||||
| 53 mins | 360 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tina Arena | Arranger, Composer, Primary Artist, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 2 | Peter Asher | Percussion, Producer |
| 3 | David Campbell | Arranger |
| 4 | Tony DeFranco | Coordination, Production Coordination |
| 5 | Greg Droman | Engineer |
| 6 | Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick | Cello |
| 7 | Steve Gallagher | Mixing Assistant |
| 8 | Claude Gaudette | Piano |
| 9 | Raven Kane | Vocals (Background) |
| 10 | Peter Kent | Violin |
| 11 | Kirkpatrick | Cello |
| 12 | Matt Lang | Percussion |
| 13 | Chris Lord-Alge | Mixing |
| 14 | Bob Mann | Guitar |
| 15 | Marilyn Martin | Guest Artist, Vocals (Background) |
| 16 | George Massenburg | Engineer |
| 17 | Pat Mastelotto | Drums, Percussion |
| 18 | Maria McKee | Composer |
| 19 | Dean McTaggart | Composer |
| 20 | Chris O'Brien | Producer, Programming |
| 21 | Robert Parde | Arranger, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals (Background) |
| 22 | John Pierce | Bass, Guitar (Bass) |
| 23 | Tim Pierce | Guest Artist, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic) |
| 24 | R. Price | Composer |
| 25 | Rick Price | Guest Artist, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals (Background) |
| 26 | Pam Reswick | Composer |
| 27 | Jay Rifkin | Composer |
| 28 | Doug Sax | Mastering |
| 29 | David Tyson | Arranger, Composer, Keyboards, Organ (Hammond), Producer, Programming, Vocals (Background) |
| 30 | Carlos Vega | Drums |
| 31 | C.J. Ward | Composer |
| 32 | The Water Family | Vocals (Background) |
| 33 | Steve Werfel | Composer |
| 34 | Jai Winding | Keyboards, Piano |
| 35 | Frank Wolf | Engineer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |