Wings

Album Review

Bonnie Tyler's most recent studio album is a mixed bag of tricks — it contains mostly new songs (including her latest international hit, "Louise," in both French and English versions), as well as new recordings of some classics — namely "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "It's a Heartache." The result is an uneven listen and it definitely falls shy of Tyler's Columbia Records or BMG International periods. Unfortunately, the addition of "Total Eclipse" and "It's a Heartache" merely serves to point out that Tyler's work used to be much more powerful and much more daring. If nothing else, the album serves as a herald that Tyler should be re-teaming with a producer of Jim Steinman's caliber to bring out the best in her inimitable voice. Tyler is one of the most powerful female pop vocalists of her generation — but Wings only acts as a reminder as to what exactly made Tyler such a pop phenomenon two decades earlier. Some high points no doubt, but largely — and unfortunately — forgettable.