Album Review: Suzi Quattro - Legend
She may be busy with other projects right now, but that hasn't stopped Suzi Quatro looking back at the songs which made her famous.
Detroit girl Quatro is one third of QSP - the supergroup she has formed with The Sweet's Andy Scott and Bilston's Slade powerhouse Don Powell.
They spent the first part of the year touring Australia, have a record due, while she has also written a novel. And Suzi has also been looking back on her career.
She has chosen four RAK studio records – Your Mamma Won't Like Me (1975), Aggro-Phobia (1976), If You Knew Suzi... (1978) and 1979's Suzi...and Other Four Letter Words – and remastered them for digital release, as well as this 20-track collection of her favourites.
It is quick and cheerful. Yet it still has time to grate given her 'duh-dum duh-dum' style of rock'n'roll sounds a little basic and dated compared to some of her contemporaries and what has certainly come after.
A large part of whether you are a Suzi fan may rest on your opinion of her vocals. She shrieks with ferocity over the songs. And like it or loathe it, it shows a passion and determination in her to get her message across.
The hits Devil Gate Drive, Can The Can and 48 Crash all appear early on as the quick hop, skip and jump approach takes you from one similarly sounding rock riff to another.
They all have big choruses which prove popular live - the karaoke affect at her live shows must be good fun.
Perhaps we are being harsh, but there is very little to distinguish between the intro-verse-chorus-instrumental-verse-chorus-outro approach to each number other than the words screeched over the top.
Having said that, the tack changes somewhat in the middle. We have bigger songs, more developed sounds. Michael is a clearly heartfelt song where the vocals are calmer and better for it. While Stumblin' In - her duet with Smokie's Chris Norman - ignores the big riffs for a more subtle approach.
"The hits are the hits," says Suzi. And while she is correct, you may be skipping some of her personal choices in the collection to get to them and avoid listener fatigue.
Rating: 6/10
Suzi Quatro is taking part in The Legends Tour this autumn alongside fellow stars David Essex, The Osmonds and Hot Chocolate. It stops off at Birmingham's Genting Arena on Saturday, October 14.
