Olivia surprising on Mellow
By Bruce Westbrook, Staff Writer.
One might have thought Olivia Newton-John’s latest album would be uninspiring at best and rotten at worst.
After she reverted to that fragile, quivering, whispery style of singing on the hit songs “I Honestly Love You” and “Have You Never Been Mellow,” and after she assumed a dainty, super-sweet, “pretty little thing” image rather than that of a blue-jeaned country girl, one would have expected her next album to include more of the same style.
If you assumed all this, however, you were partially off the track, because Olivia’s recent album “Have You Never Been Mellow” (MCA 2133) is a well-produced collection of good tunes decent, easy listening sounds that are quite accessible, quite listenable and are entertaining in a light, relaxed way.
And surprisingly, there’s more to Olivia’s singing than that Americanized Claudine Longet sound more suited to lullabying two-year-olds to sleep than it is to legitimate entertainment.
Olivia hasn’t fully abandoned the upbeat, spirited, gospel-oriented style from “Let Me Be There” and others, though she is employing a carefully conceived musical posture that’s so middle-of-the-road it is almost paradoxically extremist.
Absolutely no one could be offended by this new album except for the most hard core fans of the musical variations that it skirts. All the proper amounts of fol, country, rock and popular sounds are included to appeal to that broad listening audience so cherished by record company presidents.
The compositional vehicles for this “let’s please everybody” recording include the title cut and a recently-released followup single, “Please Mr. Please.” There are two fine John Denver tunes “Follow Me,” last done by Mary Travers, and “Goodbye Again,” last done by Denver himself.
The hits “Loving Arms” and “The Air That I Breathe” enhance the slow pace of the disc, which is briefly interrupted by the lively “Water Under the Bridge.” “I Never Did Sing You a Love Song” is for the country folks.
So in a sense the album is for everyone, but by taking this approach, it’s not suited for the discriminating listener.
Phoebe Snow
For more musical commitment, try Phoebe Snow’s debut disc “Phoebe Snow” (Shelter SR 2109). Here, in contrast to Olivia’s airiness and sweetness you’ll find a worldly, earthy sound straight from a smoky nightclub. The singles “Poetry Man” and “Harpo’s Blues” are certainly good the highlights of the album, in fact.
Miss Snow’s guitar playing and the blues-oriented arrangements make for a slow, moody sound, which bogs down a little in some of the weaker material.
The album art is interesting on this one. When you see Phoebe’s cover photo you’ll say “Holy Moley” for obvious reasons. And inside, there’s a picture and an “in memory of” dedication to some anonymous kid who could be prematurely in his grave or washing dishes in a diner somewhere for all we’re told.