Bright Lights Susanna Hoffs

• 1 Time Will Show the Wiser 03:36
• 2 One of These Things First 04:29
• 3 You and Your Sister 03:17
• 4 Name of the Game (feat. Aimee Mann) 04:48
• 5 I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight 03:12
• 6 You Just May Be the One 02:13
• 7 Him or Me - What's It Gonna Be 02:51
• 8 Femme Fatale 04:31
• 9 Take Me with U 03:28
• 10 No Good Trying 03:21
• Total Runtime 35:46

Info for Bright Lights

A collection of warm, intimate, impeccably chosen covers: It’s been almost 10 years since Bangles’ front woman Susanna Hoffs has released any original tunes, preferring instead to go for unexpected songs by reasonably well-known artists.

This is a pity, as she’s had a hand in writing more than a few cracking tracks over the years – “Hero Takes a Fall” and “Dover Beach” from the Bangles’ first album All Over the Place being particularly notable examples. Still, if the muse isn’t giving up the goods, improbable cover versions is as good a way to go as any.

So it is with her latest solo album, Bright Lights, which features reinterpretations of songs by (mainly) ‘60s bands that would be unlikely to appear on their “Greatest Hits” discs or at any ‘60s karaoke night. Hence, we get the Monkees’ “You Just May Be the One”, Paul Revere and the Raiders’ “Him or Me – What’s It Gonna Be?” and (the non-‘60s) Prince’s “Take Me With U”. However, given that Hoffs’ vocal style is so distinctive and that she tends to stick to her tried-and-tested jangly guitars and vocal harmonies-style, this record could just as easily be a fun, rediscovered collection of out-takes from the Bangles’ heyday.

This isn’t such a bad thing, and her attempt at Richard and Linda Thompson’s “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight” is quite a thing of beauty. It is her sublime version of Syd Barrett’s woozy “No Good Trying”, with its layers of psychedelic grooviness, that really hits the spot though. In fact, its production style, which takes some cues from the film soundtrack to the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour, suggests that with a bit more confidence, this album could quite easily have taken Hoffs a few more steps away from her (or perhaps her record company’s) comfort zone and into somewhere considerably more fascinating and unexpected.

Susanna Hoffs, vocals, harmony vocals, tambourine
Aimee Mann, vocals (track 4)
Danny Kortchmar, electric guitar
Waddy Wachtel, electric guitar
Leland Sklar, bass
Russell Kunkel, drums

Susanna Hoffs
Boasting one of pop's most beloved voices, Susanna Hoffs grew up in L.A. with an ever-present soundtrack of '60s music. She loved to sing and play guitar, going on to study the arts in college. Stirred by punk and new wave, Susanna started her first band with David Roback while at UC, Berkeley. Upon returning to L.A., she placed a want ad which led her to Vicki and Debbi Peterson. In December 1980, they met in the garage of Susanna's parents' home and a band was born. Blending ’60s garage rock, lush harmonies, and jangly guitars, the Bangles became a seminal band of the ’80s with a string of hits from three platinum-selling albums. Over the decades since, the Bangles continued to tour and release LPs.

In 1991, Susanna issued a pop-heavy solo album, When You're a Boy. Five years later, her eponymous LP brought her closer to her musical roots than she'd been in a long time which was met with critical praise. After working together in the Austin Powers films, Susanna and Matthew Sweet formed Sid 'n Susie, releasing three volumes of their acclaimed Under the Covers series. In 2011, she stole away to the studio for Someday, a retro modern solo set that served as a stylish homage to the '60s pop that she grew up on. She followed that up in short order with two EPs.

More recently, Susanna has collaborated with the Zombies, Tom Petty, Chris Martin, Mike Campbell, Jack Antonoff, Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, Aimee Mann, Andrew Bird, Jon Brion, Maya Rudolph, and others.

This album contains no booklet.