Diana Marcovitz

The aptly titled Joie de Vivre! is a fabulous set combining the witheringly comic qualities of Horse of a Different Feather with some gushing romantic material. Better still, Marcovitz's voice -- so ear-splitting on her debut -- is used more sparingly, and with greater feeling this time. Her musical palette has broadened, too. Here she makes her mark on disco ("Pretty Young Boys") and marvellously tasteless Broadway camp (nearly every other song). On "Drop Dead" -- partly spoken over a country/folk background -- she cuts a self-absorbed boyfriend down to size: "You just can't stand people/They're bad for your head/ So why don't you just drop dead?." Elsewhere, she focuses her peculiar brand of humor on marriage ("The Divorce"), spousal homicide ("Joie de Vivre") and the first fluttery feelings of romance ("Don't Call It Love"). There are few artists who can sing about the desire to be dead, and make it sound charming, but, with the closing number "Angel of Death," Marcovitz can safely count herself among their ranks. ~ Charles Donovan, All Music Guide