Search - Various Artists :: Ain't Nuthin But a She Thing

Perfection

EriKa | Iceland | 09/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this collection only because of Patti Smith's sultry, sad version of "Don't Smoke in Bed" followed by an airy, beautiful Sinéad O'Connor rendition of "Mna Na H Eireann" (Women of Ireland.) Not being a fan of the other artists on the CD, I thought it would be one of those CDs I pulled out rarely only to hear the songs for which I bought it. How mistaken I was. One day I decided to listen to the CD in its entirety, and I was immediately swept up in the catchy Salt'N'Pepa title track, then equally impressed with Annie Lennox's rendition of the Sugarcubes' "Mama." Of course, being a Serge Gainsbourg fan, I found Luscious Jackson's interpretation of his provocative "69 Année Érotique" to be nothing short of brilliant. Melissa Etheridge delivers a very convincing and even painful (in that you feel her pain) "Weakness in Me"... the whole CD flows with a kind of continuity rarely found on compilation CDs, this despite the varying types of music represented. This largely ignored and underhyped collection is definitely worth purchasing..."

Sisters are doing it for themselves!

Yiannis Psaroudis | soho, ny | 11/12/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"pre-dating lilith fair, this collection of women who rock was the overlooked album of 1995. though the title track single (which exhibits salt-n-pepa at their "women-rule-men-stink" best) made a small splash, listeners were unsure from whence it came. at any rate, the collection of talent, and the sheer innovation of the material and pairings makes _ain't nuthin' but a she thing_ a must-own for anybody who likes female musicians. annie lennox is infallable, as always, on "mama" and melissa etheridge does joan armatrading tearfully proud on "the weakness in me". the coupling of vanessa williams and me'shell ndegeocello on "open your eyes" is positively brilliant! ndegeocello's smooth, full-bodied voice plays beautifully with williams' silky alto. and queen latifah on "hard times"!!! who woulda thunk it? shortly following the release of _she thing_, there were rumours that latifah was going to release an album of vocals; of course, this rumour proved to be false when, three years later, she dropped _order in the court_, filled with some of her hardest-hitting rap ever. but thousands of fans are probably hopefully awaiting that fabled album, based on her performance on "hard times"."