The Bangles: Sweetheart of the Sun | Music Review

MUSIC ALBUM REVIEW

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The Bangles
Sweetheart of the Sun
***

by Jonathan Keefe on September 26, 2011
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One of the things that first brought the members of the Bangles together was their love for the jangly guitar pop of the late '60s, and the band leans heavily on that style on Sweetheart of the Sun, their first studio album in eight years and their first since bassist Michael Steele's retirement. Though Steele's absence is noticeable, especially in the group's lush vocal harmonies, the Bangles' strong pop sensibilities are more than enough to carry the album, which boasts their most stripped-down and loosest performances since their debut.

Frontwoman Susanna Hoffs enlisted frequent collaborator and fellow power-pop aficionado Matthew Sweet to produce the album, and Sweet's instincts for this kind of retro-styled material are spot-on. From the slithering guitar riffs and handclaps on "Under a Cloud" to the gentle piano backing and layered harmonies on "I'll Never Be Through with You," Sweet's production is light-handed, and he exercises the meticulous attention of a true pop classicist. He knows how to emphasize a hook for maximum impact, as on the impossibly catchy opener "Anna Lee (Sweetheart of the Sun)" and rollicking "Ball & Chain," without suffocating the band's performances in studio polish.

To that end, the Bangles have rarely sounded more like a natural, organic band then they do here. Though they're joined by bassist Derrick Anderson and keyboardist Greg Hilfman, it's Vicki Peterson's sturdy, full-bodied lead guitar riffs and Debbi Peterson's unobtrusive percussion that are the foundation for each song. The melody and punchy arrangement of "What a Life" recall "Be With You," the band's last Top 40 single before their breakup in 1989, while their cover of the Nazz's "Open My Eyes" rocks as hard as anything the band has ever recorded.

If there's a knock on Sweetheart of the Sun, it's in the individual lead vocals. While Hoffs's instantly recognizable, sexy rasp remains intact, her performance on "Under a Cloud" is more than a bit thin: She simply doesn't have the commanding presence here that she did on the Bangles' '80s albums or even on her recent covers albums with Sweet. Vicki Peterson, unfortunately, fares even worse, betrayed by a shaky sense of pitch on most of her turns at the mic. When the trio sings together, they still sound fantastic, but only Debbi Peterson really carries her solo turns. That turns out to be a significant liability, detracting from the otherwise lush, immaculate sound of the record.

Still, while it may not be as perfect a pop album as All Over the Place or Different Light, the Bangles get an awful lot right on Sweetheart of the Sun. They could have easily spent the rest of their career playing "Manic Monday" and "Hazy Shade of Winter" on the nostalgia tour circuit, but it's clear that they're still committed to pushing themselves creatively.

Label: Model Music
Release Date: September 27, 2011

Comments

shoopeedo on October 7, 2011, 11:33 PM

I could not disagree more about Vicki and Susanna's leads. However, I could not expect much from a reviewer who did not do his or her research. Susanna Hoffs is NOT the frontwoman of the Bangles. They have always shared leads on songs. Hoffs' songs were simply the ones that were most frequently chosen as singles, leading to this common assumption. Do your research before you review a band!

shyyeti on November 9, 2011, 09:10 PM

I quite agree with the last comment. If anything the reviewer has Vicki and Debbi confused, as Vicki's vocals are top-notch. But face it—there is precious little point in music reviews any more these days; most of us know as much or more about the bands than the reviewers anyway. Let us do it, Slant—we'll do it for free. The new album's not bad at all; not their best—but well worth a listen. But that's just my view—so who cares what I think, right!?! lol

Jonathan Keefe on November 13, 2011, 11:07 PM

Mmmkay. Couple of things here: I didn't actually do any "research," because Different Light was the first album I ever bought with my own money and I own all of the Bangles studio albums and compilations in addition to all of Hoffs' solo albums, and I actually keep all of them in pretty regular rotation. And, seeing as how Hoffs sings lead on every Bangles single that actually charted in the US save one ("Be With You"), I don't think it's a stretch at all to refer to her as the band's frontwoman even though it's obvious that all of the band's members sing, write, and play their material.

Also, in comparing the songs on this album on which the lead vocalist is obviously off pitch— which is at least half of the songs— to the notes that specify who's singing, I'm absolutely certain that (1) the lead vocals on the album are quite poor and are the worst thing about this otherwise pretty good album and (2) Vicki fares far worse than Debbi.

shoopeedo on May 19, 2012, 11:59 PM

Sorry, Mr. Keefe, I still disagree on the lead vocal point. For a band that modeled their songwriting/lead vocals style on the Beatles, calling Susanna Hoffs the lead singer is like call Paul McCartney the lead singer of the Beatles.

lyrafowlpotter on May 22, 2012, 03:21 AM

Jonathan, I don't mean this as a jab, but if the Bangles shared vocals on "Walk Like an Egyptian" how can you say Susanna sang lead on all but one, because the lead was not solely hers on that one. Just saying.

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