Various Artists - All Woman (Album)
I appreciate the importance of the All Woman two-disc compilation which donates a dollar from every copy sold to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, but I certainly don’t appreciate the poor song choices. If the terrible Photoshop work of the cover doesn’t make you run in the other direction, a quick glance at the track-list definitely will. But if you are drawn in by the pink ribbon and feel it is your philanthropic duty to buy a copy, give yourself a pat on the back and a high-five, then put the CD away somewhere and never give it a listen.
You’ve done your part by donating some money to a good cause, there’s no need to expose yourself to the painful 38-track compilation of some of the most mediocre, “why are they famous again?”, poorly picked artists. Disc One features such stand-out hits as Pure Shores by All Saints (I thought that song died away when The Beach stopped screening at the cinemas), Super Duper Love by Joss Stone (no really, why did The White Stripes let her cover a song of theirs?), Don’t Let Go (Love) by En Vogue (kill it! I’ve got “love making, heart breaking, soul shaking” stuck in my head now, aaaarrrrgggghhhh)...and to top it off, Delta Goodrem, of course. I don’t mean to sound so bitter but if this is a display of the power and strength of women, then we’re all fucked.
A Whitney Houston record is not something I’d put on but I appreciate her talent...same goes for Aretha Franklin and k. d. lang; and Katie Noonan on Disc two, along with Tori Amos. But these few are rarities in a sea of average, bland and quite annoying tracks which gained popularity by being overplayed on mainstream radio and easily swallowed by impressionable young minds and bored oldies...Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Gabriella Cilmi, Marcia Hines and Tina Arena belong in this category.
Then there’s the ultra-cringe-worthy picks such as Beautiful by Christina Aguilera, Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Stanton and the two shining stars of cliché, this-will-make-you-cringe tracks: I Will Survive and We Are Family. This compilation is worse than those Smash Hits CDs that no one can believe are still produced. Save your sanity from this embarrassing track-list and just make a donation to the National Breast Cancer Foundation instead.
