Courtney Love - 'America's Sweetheart' (Virgin)
2/5
By: Samantha Hall
Oh, wretched stumbling-block. Let's cut straight to it: in 'America's Sweetheart', Love attempts in vain to pick up pretty much where the last Hole album, 'Celebrity Skin', left off, delving further into lustrous, radio-friendly territory. In saying she concentrates on the glitter and the gloss is an understatement; all 'AS' is, is glitter and gloss.
So, there's no real substance; the product even stoops so low as to apparently steal some last-chance shred of integrity, awkwardly dumping Nirvana's 'Teen Spirit' riff into 'I'll Do Anything'... What's the matter, Love - not got any songs of your own?
First single 'Mono', however, is a veritable cracker and it strides out, blazing gloriously ahead of the rest of the record. Indeed, though, it's suspect that half the '... Sweetheart' budget and recording-time was spent crafting 'Mono' into such a rampantly superb, grunge-pop, pouty-punk, straddling affair - the rest of the compositions seem half-baked, despite their being overblown in production.
Generally, however, she's left the grunge alone this time - a more mature lady, possibly. At last, Love has grown to realise that songs about teenage rebellion, anger and angst won't smooth over. So instead Love embraces the fact that she has... grown.
Yet, there's a price. Despite still insisting and desperately portraying herself amidst the worldwide media as the 'indie-rock Madonna', Love battles through her first solo offering to create some form of goddamn hits by any way plausible and possible. It's telling of her individual input that nine of the tracks are co-written by pop-hitmaker Linda Perry, while the stale 'Uncool' is co-written by Elton John lyricist (yes, Elton John) Bernie Taupin. Holy crap - when's the day come that Courtney 'rock bitch' Love is even mildly associated with Elton 'kera-zee hat' John? What's the world coming too, eh? Must be the duck suit.
The sounds of a desperate icon; now, move along: nothing to hear here.
Artists in this article: Courtney Love
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