Sophie B. Hawkins: Wilderness : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

In 1992, Sophie B. Hawkins broke onto radio with the moody pop hit "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover." Ironically, more than a decade later, her first independent release is more commercial than ever, reviving earlier Madonna comparisons -- though not always for the better. "Walking on Thin Ice" is a dreamy charm, but dance tracks "Beautiful Girl" and "Meet Me on a Rooftop" settle for shiny and happy. Hawkins is in an optimistic mode, but may be too close to the mix as co-producer with the Berman Brothers (Amber, Baha Men). A multi-instrumentalist, she piles on mariachi-horn keyboards, strings and tabla. "Sweetsexywoman," a breathy torch buildup over tinkling piano, pales next to similar fare by Fiona Apple. And Hawkins strains beyond her range in the also-jazzy "You Make Me High." Yet her take on the Sixties chestnut "Feelin' Good," recorded in a garage with ambient street noise, is refreshingly gloss-free.

PAUL ROBICHEAU
(April 5, 2004)