Newton-John's LP given two reviews
Making A Good Thing Better by Olivia Newton-John (MCA)
There are two ways to handle this. Here they are.
The Polite Review
I remember Olivia Newton-John best for her debut single, the pseudo-country “If You Love Me (Let Me Know).” I must confess, in all honesty, that Ms. Newton-John’s brand of music is not the type I normally enjoy.
However, she is endowed with a rather pleasant little-girl voice and her choice of material reflects an ear for the popular taste. If further evidence that she is in touch with her public is required, one need only point to her string of hit singles and her three Grammy awards. She has also received awards from Billboard, Cashbox, and the National Association of Retail Merchandisers, who should know.
Those more demanding will dismiss Ms. Newton-John as a pretty voice in search of something interesting to sing about. However, they are missing the point entirely. She is already endowed with a legion of fans, and who would argue with that kind of success? Those who have enjoyed her work in the past may very well discover that she is, indeed, making a good thing better.
The Honest Review
Let me be kind. Olivia Newton-John would be more bland than that other Australian import, Helen Reddy, if she could.
Her music consists mostly of syrupy orchestrations which can’t hide the fact that she has absolutely nothing of substance to offer.
Occasionally she allows an electric or steel guitar to slip through the saccharine textures, but of course she would be afraid to alienate her middle-of-the-road audience with anything resembling real rock, folk or country. The whole point to music like this is to fill the gaps between disco singles and soft-drink commercials.
Supposedly Olivia Newton-John is singing about love and loneliness and all that other emotional stuff, but for all the impact her music carries, she just might as well be singing about frozen yogurt.
And while we’re talking about food, you’d get a similar rush from shovelling tapioca into your ears. “Making a Good Thing Better” is music to shoot Novacaine by.
By Tom Marcinko