Is 64 the new 44? Judging from Susanna Hoffs, it might well be. Nothing about Hoffs appearance suggests a 64 year-old. Nor does her energy level. A year and a half after her album Bright Lights and only a couple of months since her first novel, This Bird Has Flown, came out, she’s back with another album – The Deep End.
Like most of her best work since The Bangles, it consists of only cover songs. Unlike her great works with Matthew Sweet (the Under the Covers series), many listeners – at least those old enough to remember her as the lead Bangle – may not recognize most of the tunes, since with an exception or two, she veers more towards modern songs from less-than-high-profile artists this time around rather than classic rock and pop standards. This has pros and cons attached. It certainly seems more like a coherent solo album than a collection of covers to me here, and I would assume many other listeners. The downside is that some of those classics were classics for a reason – they were brilliant songs. Some of the 13 here probably fall somewhat short of that.
Thematically it’s a love album, but one split between songs of lost love and lovers left behind and new love and the giddy feeling of looking for it. Soundwise, it’s coherent but varied. Allmusic describe it as “baroque folk”; bits of it seem quite country-ish (like “Pawn Shop” with its pedal steel guitar), others seem made-for-Quiet-Storm type radio. All the songs are played impeccably. No wonder. It was produced by Peter Asher, friend of Paul McCartney and hitmaker with Peter and Gordon, and she has a number of high quality session players like guitarist Waddy Wachtel, drummer Russ Kunkel and bassist Leland Sklar. Curiously Hoffs herself only sings; perhaps disappointing since she is a much more than proficient jangler of the Rickenbacker guitar. A number of the songs have tasteful string arrangements; “Only You” has a slightly odd, Medieval Faire-style trumpet appearing. Hoffs voice is still fine, not deteriorated any over time. But both the Bangles and the excellent works with Matthew Sweet do show that sometimes Susanna benefits from having someone singing along with her.
The album starts off boldly, with probably the best-known song on it – “Under My Thumb” , the Rolling Stones classic of misogyny. She turns the tables, makes it a feminist anthem and a bit perkier than the original. However, tackling a classic rock tune like that takes commitment and somehow, she seems to be a bit lacking in passion and conviction on it. It gets a bit better on the much less recognized, country-ish title track, originally by Holly Humberstone. She covers Squeeze’s “Black Coffee in Bed” and Yazoo’s “Only You”, as well as one by current Man of the Hour Ed Sheeran (“Afterglow”) but the highlights are ones which are obscure and she really turns into her own creations, most notably the upbeat, retro-’60s pop-sounding “Would You Be So Kind” (originally by Dodio), with some interesting time changes built in, the tasteful admonition to “move on, don’t be afraid” on Phantom Planet’s 2020 “Time Moves On” and “Say You Don’t Mind.” That is a lively and likable pop tune which sounds quite Beatlesque; something that would have fit in with the Rubber Soul era Fab Four. Perhaps that’s not so surprising when you learn it was written and originally performed by Denny Laine of Wings (and the Moody Blues before that) and put out by him in 1967. It’s the one song on here that screams “hit” to me and could easily have been that for the Bangles 35 years ago had they attempted it.
Early reviews elsewhere seem favorable for Hoffs. Allmusic give it 3.5 stars, describing it as “a blend of old and new…skilful and handsome”, while Ultimate Classic Rock note that she shines on cover songs, right back to things like Dusty Springfield’s “The Look of Love” for an Austin Powers movie. They figure “this latest trip into others’ songs is yet another delight and demonstration of good taste and guts.”
Here, I’m coming to agree with those assessments. At first listen, I rather thought “Afterglow” should have been the title track, not “Deep End”; the songs seemed to be a little on the laid-back side and at times just missing a dash of passion. Pleasant but a bit restrained. But upon a few more listens, the songs start to embed themselves in your consciousness and take on their own characters. It’s not as good as her best work with Matthew Sweet covering, well, covers, but it is a nicely-picked and played selection of songs that all have worth (oddly the Stones track is probably the “clunker” in the group) and do indeed show her ability not only to sing, but to pick quality songs. As such, she might remind you a bit of that other Peter Asher colleague of years back – Linda Ronstadt.
I give it 3.5 jangly Rickenbackers out of 5. Not a classic, but a fine likable pop record
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