from silver CD: Rhino Handmade RHM2 7819
AMG Review by Brett Hartenbach
Linda Thompson's solo debut following her breakup with husband Richard is a slightly more polished effort than one might expect from the former folk-rock diva. With help from keyboardist, vocalist, and songwriting collaborator Betsy Cook and Cook's husband, producer Hugh Murphy, Thompson creates a slick-sounding pop record replete with big drums and electronic keyboards. The material lifts the album above the somewhat glossy production, although Cook's arrangements on "Can't Stop the Girl" and Ravel's "Les Trois Beaux Oiseaux de Paradis," along with the stark and affecting "Only a Boy," are superb. Thompson's lyrics, along with titles such as "Telling Me Lies" and "Hell, High Water and Heartache," tell you this is the voice of a woman scorned without being overly vindictive.