Winnipeg Free Press
Midler, Betwixt And Between
Saturday, September 3, 1983
After a four-year absence, Bette Midler has some catdhing up to do. And she gives it the old college try on the mistitled
No Frills (At l ant i c ). But unfortunately, Midler’s probably too updated for hef old audience, and not current enough to nab the new fans she’s obviously seeking.
This is an odd-lot assortment of slick, obsolescent powerpop (complete with icy synthesizer glaze and hot, jabbing guitar),
slick, obsolescent rock and slick, obsolescent pop.
Sexless rendering
The powerpop comes f r om the pens of Nick Gilder, Marshall Crenshaw and Moon M a r t i n. The rock is e x e m p l i f i ed by a stilted, sexless r e n d e r i ng of The Stones’ Beast Of B u r d e n. The g e n e r ic pop includes a me a l y -mo u t h ed profession of compassion for Cuban r e f u g e es (Only In Mi ami) and a dose of too-convenient nostalgia on an original t i t l ed Come Back J immy Dean.
Midler is a proven survivor. But she’s in trouble outside of her old cabaret context, and minus her once-famous brassy saloon wi t, she merely sounds like a brassy pro who is too hardnosed to dig into the heart of her material.
