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Title: for serious Stevie Fans only
Review: The two hit singles, Talk to Me and I Can't Wait, are mid-80s synthesizer pop-rock. She sings energetically but the stuff sounds very dated now. The only song I really liked on this one was "Imperial Hotel" - a spirited rocker with full band (several of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers), sounds great, including Stevie's voice. They should have done five more like that!!! "I Sing For the Things" is very tender and acoustic-romantic - her soft voice sounds damaged, like it's about to collapse, and yet this adds to the vulnerable feel of the song. But elsewhere, yeah, synthesizers take over, she's lost in a haze on the title track, and in general her songwriting is not strong here. 'The Nightmare' is bad, a half-incoherent train of recycled Stevie lyrics and loud chug-chug synth rock to back it up. Exception: the lovely "Has Anyone Ever..." but you can get that on TimeSpace and on the Box set.
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