Jane Wiedlin

Album Review

Aside from the unfortunately slick mid-'80s production (half by the trio of George Massenburg, Russ Kunkel and, oddly, Little Feat's Bill Payne, half by Wiedlin's then-boyfriend, ex-Psychedelic Furs drummer Vince Ely), Jane Wiedlin's 1985 solo debut is probably the best solo album by any ex-member of the Go-Go's. Wiedlin's voice, a helium-pitched trill that manages to be cute instead of obnoxious, would have been better used in the Go-Go's; on its own, it adds a level of frothy pop giddiness even to relatively dark tunes like the post-breakup lament "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and "Sometimes You Really Get on My Nerves." The singles "Modern Romance" and "Blue Kiss" really should have been hits (they're certainly better than most of Belinda Carlisle's solo work), and the best of the album tracks trade the pertness of the Go-Go's for a slightly more mature, world-weary vibe. The closing "My Traveling Heart" is the biggest surprise, a Celtic-flavored ballad with a lovely cyclical melody and the best, most personal lyrics on the album. It bodes well for Wiedlin's solo career, but unfortunately, her next two albums smacked of A&R meddling and pressure to follow commercial trends. It wouldn't be until 2000's Kissproof World that Jane Wiedlin would properly follow up this promising start.