Olivia Newton-John - Back With a Heart

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Music reviews of Back With a Heart

Music Review: Back With A Heart, Back With A Quality CD!
Rating: 5 Stars

Secondly, Olivia's voice sounds rather ravaged on this release. Although her latest album, the duets album imaginatively titled (2), shows that recent touring has done her voice a world of good, in 1998 Olivia was still recovering from a throat problem and you can tell. Not that the sound is unpleasant - her voice is lower than usual and has an appealing huskiness to it which gives her otherwise thin but strong vocals more breadth - but it is startling coming from a woman who built her career on a crystal-like sound.

Luckily, after a couple of listens this initial shock wears off. What you are left with is a heartfelt rediscovery of life and all its joys, with startlingly honest lyrics from a woman who for so long was fiercely private. Even 1994's 'Gaia', an album borne out of Olivia's battle with breast cancer, can't manage to capture the emotional depth that 'Back With A Heart'. Yes, it is probably more likely to appeal to Olivia's older, more 'experienced' fans than the new generation of 'Grease' devotees, but 1998 did mark Olivia's entry into the *gasp* 50's. As much as some of us would like it, we can't expect her to be frolicking around in headbands and legwarmers getting physical anymore, can we?!

This record effortlessly segues Olivia's early beginnings with simple instrumentation and 'traditional' melodies with the pop sensibilities which began infiltrating her work from the late seventies onwards. The album has a very prominent 'sound' (a deliciously Americanised incarnation of country-pop) but the individual songs manage to touch on various styles Olivia flirted with throughout her career. 'Precious Love' is vintage Olivia-lite country with a pop hook, whilst 'Spinning His Wheels' plays on the acoustic emotion best expressed in the title track of her 1976 album 'Come On Over'. 'I Don't Wanna Say Goodnight' and 'Don't Say That' have a distinctly seventies Californian feel to them whilst 'Attention' is the classic Olivia torch ballad along the lines of 'I Honestly Love You', which, ironically, gets a 90's soul/R'n'B reworking as the record's closing track.

The two highlights, unsurprisingly, come via John Farrar's pen. For those unfamiliar with John, he has worked with Olivia since her very first record and has written some of her biggest hits - Magic, Have You Never Been Mellow, Hopelessly Devoted To You, You're The One That I Want, just to name a few. It's obvious he is well in tune with Olivia's capabilities, but isn't afraid to stretch them. 'Closer To Me' was screaming for a release, perfect mid-tempo pop, whilst 'Under My Skin' sees a slightly more subdued reincarnation of Rock-Tramp Olivia who emerged during the early 80's. With a driving beat, catchy chorus, and even some of Olivia's trademark crotch-shrinkingly high vocals, 'Under My Skin' is a definite winner even if it does sound slightly out of place on the album.

The only song which could perhaps have been left off is the slightly substandard 'Fight For Our Love', which is Tammy Wynette all over, except reinterpreted in a whiny voice which is very out of character for Olivia. The only other particuarly 'country' song is the title track, a rollicking ode to rekindling your own heart. Awww! Great melody and positive lyrics... who cares if it's a bit too Dolly Parton? Hey, Olivia DID cover Dolly's 'Jolene' all those many years ago...

The cover art, it has to be said, is not one of Olivia's more flattering photos. Why she chose this over some of the much nicer inlay photos and other shots from the accompanying shoots I'll never know. The cover doesn't even look like Olivia, and it's at the very least a little too 'old-looking'. Nevermind, the other photos are lovely and the whole CD is packaged very well. I love the back cover of Olivia shopping here in Sydney in the Rocks - cute and sexy!

'Back With A Heart' is a fantastic album, perhaps one not essential to those who fervently favour the 'sex kitten' years, but certainly a must-have in any more-than-casual fan's collection. I just hope this doesn't become Olivia's last 'great' album. After the major misstep that was (2) (despite rather phenomenal sales in Australia), let's hope Olivia gets her career back on track with a great pop record!

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