laurie anderson

[ANGELINE@mary.fordham.edu]

Hey all...haven't been keeping up lately and was quite surprised to see 
Laurie Anderson being mentioned here.  Basically she's quite brilliant (the\
reason I got into Jane Siberry was because I read a description of her as
being a blend of Kate Bush and Laurie Anderson).  Unfortunately,  just like
in Kate's case, I remember waiting until the fall of 1989 to get a new 
Laurie Anderson album, a wait of over four years, and just like Kate having
the end result be initially disappointing.  Unlike TSW, Strange Angels has
not grown on me...it is weak, uninspired, unintelligent and unworthy of 
Laurie's earlier work.  Most songs are quite bad and banal, and the remotely
interesting ones (like Babydoll and  Beautiful Red Dress) are too coy and
soft.  Basically, Laurie wimped out...and as for the praise that she 
finally got political, well, she always was (as anyone who's heard United
States I-IV would know).  If Strange Angels is any indication, then Anderson's
best work is behind her.
                                  --John