Courtney Love
America's Sweetheart

THE REVIEW

The most famous blonde rocker of the past 15 years is back. After several delays, the last being in October 2003, "America’s Sweetheart" was released, an album that, according to Love herself, she poured her entire self into, and you can immediately understand how much of Courtney was present in Hole; she was the undisputed leader in every aspect. The album was also very well received by Alan McGee, former leader of the historic Creation, now head of the new Poptones, who was enthusiastic about the first single Mono and proposed to Love to release the work under his new label. However, probably for economic reasons, she signed a contract with Virgin at the last minute. A wrong move according to producer and Courtney's ex, Jim Barber, who recently stated that the tracks were different, much rawer, and with a really better sound.

The version of "America’s Sweetheart" that we can all listen to today is cleaned up and adapted to a more listenable sound by Virgin’s demand, which forced Love, after signing her, to modify the work. The only original version we can hear is that of "Mono" present as a b-side on the single. Despite all the collaborations, Linda Perry former 4 Non Blondes, Kim Deal of the Pixies, Wayne Kramer (MC 5), Bernie Taupin (lyricist of Elton John) and produced by Jim Barber, Josh Abraham, and Matt Serletic, it flopped commercially. The album delivers emotions although unfortunately doesn’t fully convince precisely because you feel the absence of her former band and particularly the trusted guitarist Eric Erlandson, although to appreciate it, you need to know Hole and Courtney's history well. The first single, "Mono," cleverly uses a riff very similar to the unforgettable "Celebrity Skin" in a more aggressive way, adapted to the new rock'n'roll, premiered in 2002 at London's Death Disco, and was acclaimed by Alan McGee who called it fantastic. In fact, it reminds of Love at her best. Also prominent are: "All The Drugs," one of the best tracks with riffs reminiscent of 80s bands, it seems the most complex song that closes the trilogy started with "Reason To Be Beautiful" and "Use Once & Destroy" from "Celebrity Skin." "Sunset Strip," one of the ballads with a very 70s sound that, accompanied by Courtney’s always catchy voice, makes you soar, behind this track you feel the presence of a meticulous work, very glam lyrics. "Hold On To Me," the quintessential ballad of the album, with a very melancholic and disconcerting intro. "Life Despite God," deemed by many as dreadful, instead stands out for originality, it is the one that deviates most from Hole's sound, it is the track that no one would have expected. It seems a song straight out of "4 Track Demos" by PJ Harvey where Courtney enjoys interpreting Janis Joplin (note that alluring "baby baby baby" shouted at the beginning), an interesting experiment.

Certainly, Courtney has great talent, even in her least successful work, as Billy Corgan said in the '90s:

“Courtney has exerted a great influence on my way of composing. If only she would put her life in order, she could overshadow Patti Smith. She has immense talent, but it's raw, and in terms of intelligence, she’s almost a genius despite being crazy. But she’ll never be able to exploit her potential because, in a way, she’s a comic book character. She's completely immersed in the myth of rock'n'roll that demands being cool and hard drugs.”