Melanie
Cowabonga
Play Cowabonga
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AMG Review of Cowabonga
Charles Donovan
All Music GuideCowabonga is the strongest of Melanie's '80s experiments. It's depressing to hear her struggling amid a Starship/Bonnie Tyler rock-sludge milieu, but persistence pays off because the album conceals some strong moments, particularly the self-assertive "Racing Heart." She actually sounds happy to be recording, which makes a change after the half-hearted albums of the early '80s. The rot only sets in on a few pieces -- an updated, electronic "Ruby Tuesday" is a mistake through and through, and "Show You" is a valiant try for ballsy, foot-tapping guitar rock that fails. Those errors of judgment aside, Cowabonga is halfway toward a return to form.
 "Cowabonga")
