Pat Benatar

For her first studio album in half a dozen years, Benatar returned with a fairly characteristic and varied set of mainstream rock, longtime cohort Neil Giraldo in the producer and co-songwriter chair (in addition to playing much of the music). While her voice is in fine shape, capable of hard rockers and more measured ballads, there isn't anything all that memorable tune-wise. Most of the songs are preoccupied with romantic disillusionment, which might be an odd state of affairs given the long Benatar-Giraldo personal and professional partnership, but maybe they're just doing what comes naturally to them as commercial music-makers. Hard, arena-styled rock is perhaps the element most to the fore here, particularly in the title track, with its waves of distorted guitars. But the pair seem to be wanting to cover several bases, with MOR balladry ("Brave" and "Please Don't Leave Me"), more acoustic singer/songwriter-shaded stuff ("Sorry" and "Tell Me"), and anthemic pop present as well. The CD also includes an unlisted bonus track, the awful post-9/11 2001 tribute single "Christmas in America." ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide