BetteBack Review: The Divine Miss M ~ May 19, 1973

Dunkirk Evening Observer
Flip Disks
By Kenneth Wilk
May 19, 1973

Bette Midler is a superstar!

Now that’s quite a statement to make, especially at the beginning of the article. However, those of you who might happen to be acquainted with Ms. Midler know just how much of a superstar she is. Bette just released a single entitled Boogie Woogle Bugle Boy that has the makings of a gigantic hit. It comes from an album that I apparently overlooked back in the winter, but one which I shall give mention to now.

The DIVINE MISS M (Atlantic) introduced us to a versatile performer who has since the album’s release, gotten herself a huge following. YOU can’t compare her to anyone because she Is unique. Yes-Bette Midler IS unique. Her style varies from song to song, but she’s at her very best in the solt, almost alluring songs – like Do You Want To Dance, Superstar, and Friends. Hearing her do Chapel Of Love and Leader Of The Pack is nostalgic, but her versions make them seem like new songs that could very well leap in popularity today.

Other tunes include Hello In There, Am I Blue, Daytime Hustler, and Delta Dawn. Oh, lest we forget Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, the song that REALLY has the old nostalgia flair to it. Bette has used the miracle of overdubbing to give us more than one Midler voice. Thus she sounds like the Andrews Sisters all rolled into one. If you happened to catch the Burt Bacharach TV special not too long ago it featured Bette. She sang Superstar and Boogie Woogie. For the latter she was seen in triplicate performing the song. It was a super gas!

I have not yet seen the divine Miss M in concert, but some cohorts of mine who have caught the act have said it was the greatest live performance they have ever seen. If that is the case, I look forward to seeing Bette Midler very soon!

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