There Are Some Things You Can't Cover Up With Lipstick And Powder

I've put all my CDs on iPod, but not my vinyl. That's why I pull out those old records occasionally. Otherwise the music would be lost. A few days ago I discovered, to my surprise, I own Linda Ronstadt's Mad Love.

She was a major recording star of the 70s and this was her attempt to go new wave. It was pilloried by the critics but sold pretty well, going platinum and producing a couple of hits.

At the time, I thought her versions of Elvis Costello songs such as "Party Girl" and "Girls Talk" sounded ridiculous (which is why I don't understand how I own the album). For that matter, I thought her covers of older songs didn't cut it either, but then, I'd generally had problems with her covers (and she was a cover artist).

Listening today, she doesn't quite have the energy for punk, or the chops for some of the other stuff, but it's pleasant enough if you don't compare it to the originals. The three Elvis cuts are still pretty weak, but her Neil Young cover "Look Out For My Love" (she'd been a backup singer for him) as well as the Hollies' "I Can't Let Go" aren't bad. And the two hits, the lively Cretones' song "How Do I Make You" as well as "Hurt So Bad" go down pretty easy as well.

I wouldn't recommend this album, but if you already got it, you might give it a spin.