Magazine Articles > The Times

Source:
The Times (UK newspaper) : Saturday, April 11th, '92. Edited.

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In 1985, Annie Lennox declared (in tandem with Aretha Franklin): "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves'. The song was a forthright espousal of female solidarity which chimed perfectly with the independent mood of those times, even if it was written and performed with the help of her Eurythmics partner Dave Stewart.

Now, at last, Lennox really is doing things for herself. Of the 11 songs on her first solo album, Diva (RCA PD 75326), released this week, she wrote eight herself.

Two others were collaborations (with The Blue Nile and Peter-John Vittese) while the final cut is a reprise of the post-war League of Health and Beauty theme song, "Keep Young and Beautiful", a lyric loaded with the innocent barbs of an era when the very concept of "sexism" was yet to be evolved: "It's your duty to be beautiful/If you want to be loved."

However, Lennox has not taken advantage of her new-found freedom to extend herself musically; quite the reverse. With its airless synth-pop arrangements and studio-bound feel, Diva sounds disappointingly like an early Eurythmics album, but without the crisp, melodic spring in its step.

There are one or two nice tunes, notably the hit single "Why', and Lennox sings with her usual imperious authority. But too much of the album is anodyne and predictable and there is a wearying abundance of cliches about precious little angels, little birds flying away, and pavements paved with gold.

Historically, Lennox's most conspicuous contribution to rock's sisterhood has been in setting the new gender agenda. Capitalising on her regal bearing and severe features to produce that famously androgynous image a sort of David Bowie in reverse Lennox undoubtedly paved the way for a succeeding generation of handsome women, among them Tanita Tikaram, Michelle Shocked and k.d.lang.

By David Sinclair(?) .