Lilith Fair: A Celebration Of Women In Music, Not As Good As I Experienced It

The Good: Some great performances by some wonderful musical artists
The Bad: Some lousy performances by some mediocre musical artists
The Basics: Track by track a hit-or-miss album, this is a sampler of women and their guitars performing at Lilith Fair concerts with mixed results.


The very first concert I ever went to was Lilith Fair in Canandaigua, New York. I had graduated college the December before, I was poor, working in an art supply store and recovering from an illness I had had for years. Heather Nova was performing on the second stage and I had been listening to her masterpiece, Siren (reviewed here!) for months as I recuperated and Canandaigua was only twenty-five miles from where I was living. I could not not go. I bought tickets. Then I won some off a local radio station. Regardless, I was going and it was pretty wonderful for me. I mention this because I want to make it clear from the outset that I'm a fan of the Lilith Fair idea and experience.

So, it seemed pretty natural that I would pick up Lilith Faith - A Celebration of Women in Music, a two disc c.d. set featuring 13 tracks (just under 55 minutes of music) and 12 tracks (just under 49 minutes) featuring artist performances from some of the Lilith Fair concerts. Proceeds from purchasing this c.d. go to RAINN, which is a worthy organization to be sure. The important thing to note about this two-disc "Lilith Fair" set is that it is not Lilith Fair, it's a recording. As such, I'm reviewing it as a collection of live tracks from female artists who appear on it.

As the title suggests, this is a collection of live tracks from all female artists, though the range of those artists is somewhat limited. The album opens with Paula Cole, who likely was put there based on her prominence with "This Fire," which was hot at the time. Similarly, The Cardigans are near the front of the first disc, which suggests they were still enjoying their brief popularity in the mainstream when this was released. Of course, Sarah McLachlan pops up on the album, as do Suzanne Vega, Susanna Hoffs (former lead singer of The Bangles), Indigo Girls, Dar Williams and Lisa Loeb.

Mixed in with well known acts, or recognizable artists like Shawn Colvin, Meredith Brooks and Joan Osborne, are an assortment of performers whose one-hit never launched them into one-hit wonder status. This collection is a place where one may hear the works of Autour de Lucie, Lhasa, Patty Griffin, Yungchen Lhamo, and Victoria Williams. Sadly, it turns out virtual unknown Dayna Manning was at the Lilith Fair I attended and she left so little impression that I did not recognize her work on this two-disc set.

So, this is a concept that is clever and difficult to pull off; Sarah McLachlan hopes to get people to purchase this two-disc set based on the strength of known performers and lure them into listening to other artists. It's a good idea and this album just about pulls that off. Wisely, McLachlan and her associated artists give the listener something generally new and different from their repertoire on this album.

So, for example, Meredith Brooks does not perform "Bitch," but rather a song called "Wash My Hands." Lisa Loeb does not perform her megahit "Stay (I Miss You)," but gives the listener "Falling In Love." Joan Osborne distances herself from "One Of Us" with "Ladder" and Paula Cole presents a live version of "Mississippi" that proves that her strength on the album is not produced, but rather a product of her own abilities.

Some of the artists (virtually all of the performers wrote their own music) perform their one-hits or their most popular recognizable tracks. So, for example, I recognized Abra Moore's song "Four Leaf Clover" from the brief time that received radio airplay. Susanna Hoffs opted for a live version of The Bangles's "Eternal Flame" (it's quite wonderful) and Sarah McLachlan performs "Building A Mystery," sounding distinctly different from Mirrorball (reviewed here!). In another sad note, it's quite possible I saw Tracy Bonham perform "The One," as she does on this set, but it left so little impression with me that it seemed new to me when I heard it here.

The album sounds exactly like what one would surmise it would coming from Lilith Fair. It's a lot of women. Women with guitars. Almost universally, the tracks are a woman, usually with a guitar, singing her heart out. Some of the tracks have the usual live conceit of the audience responding to open or close the track or they have the artist speaking to the audience, but largely it's a woman with a guitar rocking her heart out.

This is combined with the occasional foreign language track, usually sounding like a tribal chant of some sort, as Yungchen Lhamo's "Lama Dorje Chang" is. The result is that this is a remarkably inconsistent album. Track to track, its hit or miss. I think there are more hits, but it's unlikely this two-disc set will be palatable to those who do not have a love of female pop-rock or folk-rock artists. That's pretty much what it is.

There are some decent unknowns on here, as well. Frankly, I like the Tracy Bonham song "The One" and I was glad to hear it on this set.

But largely, this was a wash for me and ultimately, my recommendation for this album came down to the idea that I liked where some of the money from the sale of this was going. No doubt there are places online you can rip your favorite songs from without listening to some of the more mediocre tracks, but then RAINN doesn't get its cut and you're not opening up to any other artists.

The best tracks are "Eternal Flame" by Susanna Hoffs on disc one and "What Do You Hear In These Sounds?" by Dar Williams on disc two (it sounds distinctly different from her live rendition of the same song on Out There Live, reviewed here!). The weakest links are "Lhasa" by El Payande (disc 1) and the awful, squeaky closer, "Periwinkle Sky" by Victoria Williams (Disc 2).

For other live albums, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Tina Live In Europe - Tina Turner
Live - James Taylor
In Philadelphia - Wilson Pickett

6/10

Check out how this album stacks up against others I have reviewed by visiting my Music Review Index Page where the reviews are organized from best to worst.

© 2013, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Substandard Pop, No Matter The Lighting: Different Light

The Good: Some decent lyrics, Good vocals, Some memorable tunes
The Bad: Very fluffy, Musically inconsistent, Short!
The Basics: Thoroughly average in the final analysis, Different Light by The Bangles is an erratic collection of pop tracks from sources within and outside the band.


I was recently listening to and reviewing a c.d. of Lilith Fair and I was caught by the presentation of "Eternal Flame" presented by Susanna Hoffs. Hoffs was one of the Bangles, for those too young to know better they were one of the pop-girl bands that preceded the Spice Girls or (shudder) the Pussycat Dolls, back when female pop-rock artists were more concerned with creating music than selling sex. Hoffs had a solo career (she might still, but if so she keeps it pretty quiet), so I was surprised that she would include one of her Bangles songs on the Lilith Fair album as opposed to one of her own solo works. This inspired me to pick up an album by The Bangles and give it a spin.

I picked up Different Light, a twelve-track pure pop album that clocks in at a disappointing 38 minutes, 40 seconds. Best known for the singles "Manic Monday," "Walk Like An Egyptian" and "If She Knew What She Wants," the Bangles might seem dominated by Susanna Hoffs, but on Different Light, the singing duties are remarkably well-distributed. Conveniently, the liner notes to the c.d. list who the main vocalist is for each track and for the quartet, vocals are remarkably well-distributed.

The question one might reasonably have after listening repeatedly to Different Light is "Whose vision is this album? Whose voice defines the Bangles?" By "voice," I don't mean vocals, but rather whose voice as in making a statement, is the album and band following? The hit song "Manic Monday," credited to "Christopher" was written by Prince (before he became a symbol). "Walk Like An Egyptian" was written by Liam Sternberg and "If She Knew What She Wants" was written by Jules Shear; the main three singles to be successful on the charts were all written by people who are not members of the Bangles. Of the remaining nine songs, eight are written or co-written by members of the quartet. So, why was the band reticent about releasing a song like "Return Post?" It's written and performed by members of The Bangles, why release the contracted out songs for the hits? On the album, only "Let It Go" is written and performed entirely by all four members of the group.

The reason I am belaboring this whole point and idea is because Different Light suffers greatly because the beast has no head. What Different Light lacks is a sense of creative unity that defines who and what the group and the album are. As a perfect example, the soft, folk-like "September Gurls" is followed by the punk-pop "Angels Don't Fall In Love," with its crazed drumming following such a gentle song, the ear just shudders. It is then followed by a pretty standard pop ballad called "Following."

While musical diversity is the hallmark of an artist who has skills, on Different Light, the result is more sloppy than professional. The feel of the album is that of a collection of singles tossed together. Thematically, the album is just as tormented as the sound. Michael Steele wrote the soft, sad, ponderous "Following," which brilliantly emotes with lines like, "You call me a loser / You call me a shadowing fool / Look over your shoulder / And you say I'm haunting you." Her vocals on the song are equally impressive for their simplicity and the tone of eerie loneliness they connote. "Following" is completely out of place on the same album as the album closer, "Not Like You," with its insipid rhymes of "Busted down and broken / All in two / But you never thought / This could happen to you / Wake up, stumble / Trip and fall / You had so much / And now you've lost it all." It is performed with the sound and resonance of a commercial jingle and it is as irritating as it is simplistic.

The thing that surprised me when considering the lines and collection of songs on Different Light was that Susanna Hoffs was the only one to leave the Bangles and have a front-running solo career. Honestly, "Following" is a strong enough song that it should have bought Michael Steele her own solo career. But more than that, the way the album is organized with each member contributing their own style and lyrics, the effect is one that is ultimately rather assembled. In short, what is not contributed by outside sources and simply performed by the Bangles is basically a collection of solo efforts wherein each member of the band writes their own songs and sings them with the others backing them.

The overall feel and sound of the bulk of the album is definitely pop, far more than pop-rock. The songs are largely jingles that have memorable tunes (ask any child of the 80s how "Walk Like An Egyptian" goes and they can at least spit out the chorus in tune). But they are musically safe; this is the typical guitar, bass, drums band and the Bangles are not pushing the envelope in any meaningful way on this album. Instead, Different Light could be any group of young women playing in their garage.

Does that mean it is without quality? Not at all. Regardless of who wrote the song, "If She Knew What She Wants" remains one of the most original pop songs of all time. How often is the youthful inexperience with desire actually explored? Susanna Hoffs beautifully sings "If she knew what she wants / He'd be giving it to her . . ." ("If She Knew What She Wants") with the stark expression of how young women seldom know what they are truly looking for. It's not another simple, stupid song about love or loss, it's just about youthful inexperience. That's cool.

And even the somewhat pointless and weird "Walk Like An Egyptian" is memorable if for nothing else than the Bangles managed to make number one hit out of how people move. It's ridiculous, candy-coated pop, but it does that well.

That's why we bother to remember the Bangles. All of the songs on Different Light worth remembering are on their "Greatest Hits" album, reducing significantly in value on its own.

The best track is "If She Knew What She Wants" (though "Following" impresses me quite a bit), the low point is "Angels Don't Fall In Love."

For other works with Susanna Hoffs, please visit my reviews of:
When You're A Boy
Susanna Hoffs
All I Want (single)

5/10

For other music reviews, please visit my Music Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Yes, It's True, I'm Loving The Sugarpop Of Susanna Hoffs!

The Good: Some decent lyrics, Good sound, Nice vocals
The Bad: Some truly inane lyrics, Shorter than I'd like
The Basics: Surprisingly good, Susanna Hoffs is unfortunately hampered by a style that is not as good as she seems to have the lyrical potential to be.


Ever hear an album that you enjoy and it makes you feel good, but when you stop to analyze it, you find yourself cringing more and more? From my first listen to Susanna Hoffs, the solo album by the oft-credited "lead singer" of The Bangles, I felt that way. The first song opened with such a great opening with a woman who treated poorly by her love interest and the song worked until the very moment the musical protagonist goes back to him. I almost got lockjaw from grinding my teeth so hard from that.

But the truth is, I remember hearing the lead single from Susanna Hoffs a lot when I was working at a department store in college and when "All I Want" (reviewed here!) came on, I always loved it. I would do a little rocking out dance in the toy department where I worked and I loved the sugary, pop quality to the song. In fact, it's almost surprising that the only other works by Hoffs that I've tracked down since was The Bangles Different Light and her cover of a song by The Bangles on the Lilith Fair album, as well as her sophomore album When You’re A Boy (reviewed here!). So, when I picked up Susanna Hoffs I was very ready for it. And overall, I was very happy with it, but the objective reviewer in me forced me to hold it to the same standards as every other c.d. I listen to.

With thirteen songs, clocking in at 52:53, Susanna Hoffs is hardly indicative of the talents and vision of singer and songwriter Susanna Hoffs. First, Hoffs did not write all of the songs; far from it. At best, she co-wrote nine of the songs and at least one ("Stuck In The Middle With You") is a cover song. The other "hidden" track is "To Sir With Love," which was from a 1967 movie by the same title. Hoffs does provide the lead vocals on all of the songs and plays guitar on most of the songs. She is credited, as well, with co-producing most of the songs on the album. But still, it is unclear how much of this work is actually Hoffs's musical vision.

That said, there is a certain consistency between the work Hoffs did with The Bangles and this solo project. This is bubbly, generally happy-sounding pop-rock music. It is largely guitar-driven and has a pretty basic pop sound with percussion making a notable appearance on tracks like "King Of Tragedy." The songs tend to be characterized by Hoffs's lilting, melodic alto and soprano voice as she provided on "All I Want." And at worst, it is feel-good music, though some of the lyrics are irritating.

Fortunately, Hoffs gets the worst of the lines out of the way on the first track. "Beekeeper's Blues" starts out with such a beautifully-defined musical tragedy with the lines "You only call when you want money / And when I need you you're not there / Everybody else has written you right off / You make it hard to care / You're pretty hard to bear" that it becomes unforgivable that Hoffs resorts to a resolution of ". . . these boots are made for walking / They're walking back to you / What else can I do." Hey, Susanna, you can walk away! What kind of message does it send your listeners when you write ad nauseam about how terrible a guy is only to walk right back to him?! It's unbearable. What's worse is that there are some truly decent lines in the song. Someday, someone will do a cover of this and change the idea of walking back to the jerk and it will be great.

That said, there is a great song or two on the album and the primary single from Susanna Hoffs is pretty impressive. "All I Want," ironically not even co-written by Hoffs has a beautiful little bit of simplistic poetry. When Hoffs sings "All I want, all I want to do / Is make you listen from now on / Sleeping in the dark, dreaming of the stars / Keep one to wish on from now on / It makes me want to give you everything / Pick you up and take you home again / Hold you tight and think that now is then" ("All I Want") she does it with a frustrated, longing quality that beautifully shows what she is saying with the words and it comes out beautifully. They may not be Hoffs's lines, but she owns them and makes them sound great, despite the singsong sound of some of the rhymes.

In fact, if there is any real lyrical weakness to Susanna Hoffs, it is in the predictability of the rhyme scheme. Even the album's best track co-written by Hoffs, "Grand Adventure" has terribly predictable rhymes like "I'm on a grand adventure / With my friend the great pretender / We can do anything we want . . . You hide how much you really care / You drink your irish whiskey / Through lips I wish would kiss me." It's not the most sophisticated level of diction ever presented by a musical artists.

But what Susanna Hoffs is real good at is making her songs sound good. The cover of "Stuck In The Middle With You" is lighthearted and fun, without any of the moody intensity that might make one think of it playing in the background of "Reservoir Dogs." She takes the song and makes it into bubblegum pop and it's fun. This is not to say she does not have the ability to emote more seriously in her works. On "Those Days Are Over," she goes to the lowest portion of her range and creates a slow, solemn track that is almost dark. At least it is moody and emotional and her presentation fits the lyrics well.

Instrumentally, this album is largely one woman and her guitar and it sounds exactly like what it is. The guitars are cleaned up and the bass noticeably improves some of the later tracks on the album. And even though the drums break in on tracks like "Weak With Love" in a noticeable way, most of the tracks are guitar-dominated and they work for that kind of sound.

Susanna Hoffs is a good album and it's fun, but people looking for more serious rock and roll will be disappointed. And for those of us who like a good pop rock album from time to time, this certainly does that well. Objectively, though, it does not do much more than that.

For other female artists, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Little Bird (single) – Annie Lennox
Boys For Pele - Tori Amos
21 - Adele

7/10

For other music reviews, please visit my Music Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Even The Best Solo Song By Susanna Hoffs, "All I Want," Isn't Worth This Price!

The Good: Good mix, Generally well-written, Great sound
The Bad: Poor use of the medium,Ridiculously expensive(when it can be found),Not indicative of artist's talents.
The Basics: Even though I love the primary song and accept the b-side on "All I Want," the single is an impossible sell, especially at collector's prices!


Singles are a tough sell for me. After all, how much can one truly say about a two-track album, especially when the song is either completely obscure or one that virtually everyone in the world knows. Definitely on the obscure side of modern singles is the Susanna Hoffs single "All I Want."

"All I Want" was the biggest single (in the U.S. anyway) from Susanna Hoffs' sophomore album, Susanna Hoffs (her debut solo album is reviewed here!). It was a catchy song that was reasonably well-written, certainly had hit potential (though it would have been up against a burgeoning little act called the Spice Girls at the time), sounded good and displayed some serious vocal talent from the former (de facto) lead singer of The Bangles. On the "single," "All I Want" is paired with another track from the album, the ballad "Those Days Are Over."

With only two songs that occupy less than ten minutes on the compact disc, "All I Want" is a terrible use of the c.d. medium. Moreover, now given the apparent rarity of the actual c.d. it is obscene to think some might end up shelling out almost $40 for this two-track single. Given the capacity of a c.d., this is quite a waste. That said, "All I Want" is a real split between the talents and vision of Susanna Hoffs and those of her record label. The irony is that the "a-side" titled single was not written by Hoffs, but the b-side "Those Days Are Over" was both co-written and co-produced by Hoffs. Susanna Hoffs does co-produce "All I Want" and she provides the lead vocals on both tracks.

First, to be absolutely clear, I love the song "All I Want." I'm going to write more in depth about that in a moment, but it is worth noting that this is one of my favorite songs from the nineties and whenever I hear it, I have fond memories of the place and time I was working when I would hear it back in the day. I love the song and I am happy to be articulate about that in a moment. The thing is, this listing is for the c.d. single and as a c.d. single, I have to consider the value of the overall product. The song alone - even with "Those Days Are Over" - would be a hard four, maybe even a four and a half. I would strongly recommend the song and I think that if one can find the single cheap, it's a great way to go and if one has the opportunity to legally get a digital download of the song that is far, far, far less expensive, it is hard to do better for an adult-contemporary/pop lover to do than "All I Want." But at this cost (in the $40 range) for two songs, it's impossible to recommend and ultimately it is a poor value and an abysmal use of the medium, especially for the cost. For that price, one could hunt down every album by The Bangles and (probably) the solo albums of Susanna Hoffs and still have money for a burger afterwards!

That said, why all the fuss about a two-song single? For those who have not heard it, "All I Want" is a melodic pop-rock song that combines an upbeat guitar sound, Susanna Hoffs' sugary vocals with lyrics that are actually tormented and sad. Hoffs presents a plaintive wail for attention and understanding and it is a shame that arguably her best single was not written or co-written by her.

Lyrically, the song is straightforward and Hoffs sings the song with clear articulation. The song is about stopping a lover in his tracks and demanding to be taken seriously and Hoffs succeeds with that with the deceptively simple lines like "Can't ignore or hide away / Can't escape from the things that line our way / Take it, leave it, break it / Anyway, you can't get back to yesterday. / All I want / All I wanna do / You better listen from now on / Stop what's goin' on / Stop what's goin' wrong / You better listen from now on" ("All I Want"). There is a refreshing directness to the song and the vocals of Susanna Hoffs are equally direct.

This is not to say that the song lacks poetics, because it does have that with bridges that ring out in Hoffs' soprano voice, like "Sleepin' in the dark / Dreamin' of the stars / Keep one to wish on from now on" ("All I Want"). In other words, in this song Hoffs makes both a reasonable emotional demand and makes it interesting. "All I Want" has high replayability because the song carries a universal message and presents it well.

Anyone who likes pop-rock with a feminine voice will enjoy "All I Want." The guitars are strong, the vocals have moments that are actually haunting with the level of desire they express and the song is the right combination of memorable and catchy.

The other song on the single is "Those Days Are Over" and it is a pretty mediocre pop ballad. In fact, this slower song has a similar emotional resonance to "All I Want," making it a good companion song on the single, and it is refreshing to hear Hoffs sing something she co-wrote and co-produced. And just as "All I Want" is direct about standing up to the indifference of a partner, "Those Days Are Over" is a pretty straightforward breakup song.

Slower than "All I Want," Hoffs wrote and sang the lines "People wrote you off / I never wanted to / You really broke my heart / But then that's nothing new / That's all over now. / You really won this time / Those days are over / Hey, you really won this time / Those days are over" ("Those Days Are Over"). The song is much simpler and a bit more repetitive - lyrically - than "All I Want," so it is not quite as repeatable as the a-side single. But this track - which employs more piano than guitar - is sad and universal in a way that "All I Want" is not. While "All I Want" has a sentiment that ought to be universal, we seldom stand so directly before our partners and tell them "you need to treat me better."

The irony of this single is that "Those Days Are Over" is stripped of the poetics, when it is a song capturing something that could afford to be more poetic. Hoffs is more flowery when singing about being direct than she is about the complicated nature of a breakup on "Those Days Are Over."

So, the songs are good and if you're in an old record shop and see this in the cheap bin, by all means, buy it. But if you're part of the whole "collector's rarity breeds value" thing and can only find this through the obscure, high-priced places hold off. There has to be somewhere that has a digital download of both songs at reasonable prices.

For other singles, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
“I Want You” – Sophie B. Hawkins
“Little Bird” – Annie Lennox
“Waterfalls” – TLC

4/10

For other music reviews, please visit my Music Index Page for an organized list!

© 2012, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Susanna Hoffs Goes Solo With A Pretty Generic Pop Sound On When You're A Boy.

The Good: A few decent lyrics, vocals and instrumentals, Production
The Bad: Short, Blandly "pop," Generic overall sound, Nothing great or truly interesting
The Basics: All right, but not great or in any way unsurprising, When You're A Boy by Susanna Hoffs fades as fluffy, generic pop music.


Some things simply are what they are, I believe. It is hard to criticize them for being exactly what one expects them to be. So, for example, when one picks up the solo debut by former member of The Bangles, Susanna Hoffs, it is hard to expect that it is going to be something other than Bangles-like pop music. She was one of the driving forces of the band and as a result, when one listens to her album, it is unsurprising that it resonates much like an album by The Bangles.

On her solo album, When You're A Boy, Susanna Hoffs does nothing special. The album is the exact average one would expect from an '80's pop star. The album has all of the production sensibilities of an '80's album and there is a sense in the backing vocals - certainly on the first two tracks - that Hoffs has not truly left the sensibilities of being in a girl group behind, she's just changed who is in the group. So, the album is what it is: it is a solo pop endeavor for a light rock, more pop singer-songwriter and it resonates as something that is fluffy, dancable, and ultimately inconsequential.

With only twelve tracks, clocking out at 44:58, When You're A Boy is more or less the musical vision of Susanna Hoffs, the woman who became the focal point of the media's attention in The Bangles (she never declared herself the lead singer for the band, but the media named her that). On her solo debut, Hoffs co-wrote only seven of the tracks and there is something particularly lame about the fact that the title of the album comes from one of the cover songs. "Boys Keep Swinging" by David Bowie (and "B. Eno") is the final song on the album and When You're A Boy comes from that song. Similarly, "Unconditional Love" appears to have been a Cyndi Lauper song originally, though the lyrics were altered for (but not by, apparently) Susanna Hoffs. Three other songs on the album were similarly not written by Hoffs.

In addition to having limited writing control on the album, Hoffs receives no form of production credit. She is not listed as a co-producer, engineer or even a mixer, even on a single track. So, this opens the door to the question of how much of the sound is actually what Hoffs wanted or intended. As well, she is only credited instrumentally as "additional guitar" and it is not clear which tracks she plays that on. In fact, all it seems like she does consistently on her solo album is sing. Hoffs provides the lead vocals and is credited with some of her own backing vocals, alongside nine other people.

And the result is an album that sounds like generic pop. There are the standard pop ballads ("Unconditional Love," "Wishing On Telstar") as well as generic pop-dance songs ("So Much For Love" and "That's Why Girls Cry"). The album is largely softer rock-pop, but most of the vocals have a sugar-coated quality to them that makes one think entirely of Hoffs' performances with The Bangles, like on such albums as Different Light. When You're A Boy lacks any of the lyrical maturity that came with Hoffs' eponymous sophomore endeavor. The '90's started with Hoffs sounding largely like she was a leftover from the '80s.

In fact, the only song that truly sounds different from something Hoffs might have done while in The Bangles is "Something New." Murky and driven by guitars that are produced to be under the synths, but resisting their dominance, "Something New" is surprising for its ambiguity and cleverness. Hoffs doesn't sing in a singsong, bubblegum way on the track and as a result, there is a truly haunting quality to it and it stands out.

Lyrically, "Something New" also stands out, certainly of the songs that Hoffs co-wrote. Unlike some of the repetitive songs (virtually every other cut on the album) Hoffs and her co-writers become truly poetic with lines like "You want something new, something sweet / To rinse away the bitterness of another day fading away / You want something new, something bright / To lighten up the shadows of your darkest fears hovering near / You get so lonely lately, lonely and afraid / Maybe nothing really good will ever come your way / You want something new, something hot / Flames of passion burning all your bridges down . . ." ("Something New"). The song works well, especially because Hoffs is straightforward in the presentation as well; unlike something like "Unconditional Love," where she sounds like she is trying to be Cyndi Lauper, not just use one of her songs.

"So Much For Love" is a ridiculous pop-track from 1980, but Hoffs opens the album well with her own (more or less) song "My Side Of The Bed," which makes one wonder why it wasn't a hit when the album dropped in 1991. Unfortunately, Hoffs seems plagued by singsony lyrics and opening with "My Side Of The Bed" is something of an embodiment of that, with its lyrics "I've been dreamin' since I was born / And in my dreams I see eyes like yours / I'll be the pillow where you lay your head / If you'll come and sleep on my side of the bed. . . I know you hurt, I feel the pain / Take my hand and come out of the rain."

Unfortunately for Hoffs, that sense of limited and obvious rhyme scheme seems to permeate the album, especially on the tracks she co-wrote. By the time "Only Love" with its obvious rhymes like ". . .Gonna build yourself a wall of stone / Gonna live there inside it all alone / And you say love's the last thing you need / But every drop of rain that falls makes a flower grow / Don't give up now, don't give up now / Baby, don't you know. . ." one begins to be able to guess the lines, even on the first listen. This is not a terribly original album as far as the lyrics go and Hoffs repeats many of her refrains excessively, adding to the repetitive quality of the album.

When You're A Boy is a synthesizer and guitar driven album characterized by the voice of Susanna Hoffs and the incessant use of backing vocals. The album is heavily produced, so outside the vocals on "Something New," it is difficult to say whether or not Hoffs even has a decent voice. She seems to, but everything is so produced, it is tough to tell how much is her and how much is her presentation sanitized. With the frequency and quality of the backing vocals, this might as well be a lost album by the Bangles.

The only real flavor to the album (outside the haunting nature of "Something New") is that of insipid dance pop. "So Much For Love" is the archetypal dance song and "Made Of Stone" guts any emotional resonance it might have from its heavy use of synths and drums. It becomes obvious dance music and it lacks any depth or endurance to be much more interesting than that.

But then, this is pretty much what we expected from Susanna Hoffs: pop music. And she delivers, average music for the masses. The album is harder to find these days, but those who love pop will want to track it down. For the rest of us . . . well, there is plenty of better music out there.

The best track is "Something New," the low point is "So Much For Love."

For other female artists, please visit my reviews of:
300 Days At Sea - Heather Nova
21 - Adele
Wilderness - Sophie B. Hawkins

5/10

For other music reviews, be sure to check out my index page on the subject!

© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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