Comments for Shepard, Vonda, The Radical Light

Vonda`s second album is very telling. Obviously, the pop format of her debut had more to do with label politics than it really did her own musical style. This album she trades Amy Grant for Bonnie Raitt as a major influence. The trouble is, she tries to please everyone: her label, which was obviously more interested in pop singles (and even though a couple of good ones exist here the powers that be STILL didn`t release and promote them...go figure), and herself, obviously anxious to display her female singer/songwriter country-influenced acoustic rock leanings. The two approaches would have worked well separately, as she is competent at both, but on the same album she comes off as less than focused. That`s not to say this isn`t a strong release, it`s just not as strong as it could have been. "Searching My Soul" and "Dreamin" (both produced by slick pop producer Richard Perry) could have been huge pop singles; their hooks and Vonda`s polished vocals have "hit" written all over them. But then Vonda`s more artistic efforts, on the strong ballads "Clean Rain" and "Good to Yourself," provide too much of a contrast, especially when you go from "Dreamin"`s sampled hip-hop drums to the Raitt-leanings of the country-tinged ballad "Good to Yourself" right in a row. And then the tunes "Out on the Town" and "Cartwheels" seem earnest attempts at a level of Joni Mitchell-type storytelling songwriting, but they just plain don`t match up. And trying to turn her into a dance diva on "Love Will Come and Go" (again produced by Perry) was a sad mistake; the song itself, which she co-wrote, is alright, but somehow you get the feeling that even Vonda doesn`t love this track. All in all, there`s some good material here, but the uneven balance of "The Radical Light" makes it a somewhat difficult listen. Thank God she focused for her third release and did what her first two albums only hinted at...