Paula Cole is still going, albeit not so strong, with album number 7. It’s been a long time since her Harbinger debut, though most fans didn’t discover her until This Fire; her boiling point in terms of popularity and artistic zest. Since then, the songstress has settled into a zone of soft folky campfire music, which is particularly disappointing (boring) in comparison to the striking biographical odes presented on the aforementioned set.
Tiger, Where Have All The Cowboys Gone; every song on This Fire has its merits. Even her previous album, Raven, includes a naughty banger entitled Secretary. 7, as the unimaginative title suggests, sort of coasts along… pleasantly enough to play as background music but with no major highlights. Part of the problem is that she never really bawls here; Paula Cole is best when she’s bawling; but it’s mostly simply a lack of good melodies.
my rating : 3 of 5
2015