Courtney Love
America's Sweetheart

THE REVIEW

At times, it seems to recapture those rock/grunge nuances that had so many dreaming in those early '90s. In others (most of the time), it feels like sinking into that commercial quagmire soaked with stereotypes where seventy percent of the latest American releases happily swim.

Suspicious of the sea of advertisements made for an album whose release had long been awaited, I prudently opted for downloading and a preliminary listen before purchasing.
After a first run-through of the tracklist on my stereo, I was still unable to formulate a comprehensive judgment. For someone like me who appreciated Hole for much of their production, this feels decidedly like a step backward. After several years, Love seems only able to offer what has been demonstrated in the past, a past already living too much under the "Kurtian" influence with melodies chewed up and well-digested.

Twelve tracks pass by in a sterile manner, all characterized by the same chords and the same drum rhythm.
The lyrics, decidedly banal, are nonetheless enhanced by Courtney's more than catchy voice, always kept alive and aggressive by her rebellious spirit and the desire to never age (probably also by the doses she takes).

In short, an elementary and decidedly predictable album, from which nothing special should be expected, as it's a product, in my view, of a forty-year-old's taste for money who has now understood that in a couple of years she will no longer be able to strip to sell her music.
Good for spending half an hour in the car if you're feeling down or to satisfy a temporary rockstar instinct in front of the stereo, when stepping out of the shower and grabbing the first broom that comes to hand as a guitar, you launch into an unlikely playback.

A work nonetheless not to be demonized, which will appeal to fans and will undoubtedly have moderate commercial success…