The folks at Kill Rock Stars, who usually have better ideas, are re-releasing Linda Perry’s album In Flight, which originally came out on Interscope in 1996. Allmusicguide’s Vincent Jeffries, despite giving In Flight a generally positive review, used the following phrases: “overly personal,” “dangerously sincere,” “excessively self-analytical,” and “weepy predisposition” to describe it. All of those apply.
I’m just not sure where Mr. Jeffries finds the enthusiasm for the record. True, “Fill Me Up” sounds like the kind of swaggering anthem that could go huge pop, or could have back when Melissa Etheridge hit with “I’m the Only One,” which it very closely resembles.
And I almost like “Fruitloop Daydream,” which presages loopy, cabaret-aping bands like Dresden Dolls and Fiery Furnaces.
But there was always something slightly annoying about Perry’s band, Four Non Blondes, and now I think it was Perry’s voice. It’s a very good voice, but she’s in love with its theatrics. Her voice dominates, so if you’re not a fan, there’s not much for you on In Flight.
You could say the same, I suppose, about most Tom Waits albums after Small Change – this first thing and the easiest thing to notice is that distinctive voice. But Waits‘ voice is easier to love, and with Waits the songwriting and the production are equally distinctive, whereas the songwriting and the production on In Flight are all, well, less so.
Unless you’re partial to lines like “I believe in Jesus, does Jesus believe in me?” belted out in a frenzied, coffee house style. Or “Will success fail me? Will it make me free?” These are lyrics that belong on tour with Whitesnake – actually, that’s exactly what this reminds me of, “Home Sweet Home,” “Signs,” “Love Bites,” all that ballady, middle ground glam rock stuff where the bands lowered the lights and got all earnest on us.
“Knock Me Out” features Grace Slick, and sounds like a Def Leppard track fronted by Perry. This stuff isn’t just nine years old, it’s 20. It’s all cigarettes and Jack Daniel’s, glam/danger packaged for us and produced with some killer hooks. Except the hooks aren’t really killer.
Leave it at this: I’m not a Linda Perry fan. I like the story line of a difficult, drug-addled artist with lots of promise who’s never quite panned out; but I’m not sure it fits her.
– Tom Vale
Linda Perry (Kill Rock Stars)