Madison Capital Times
October 4, 1979
Bette Midler. “Thighs and Whispers.” Atlantic. 3 stars.
Bette Midler is rock’s bag lady, picking up a scrap of this, a dollop of that, and combining it all into an intriguing melange of sound stylings. In the past she has often been tacky, but that’s not true of her latest foray.
“Thighs and Whispers” opens up with the big band swing of “Big Noise from Winnetka,” then meanders through contemporary ballads (James Taylor’s “Millworker”) and rockers and even a novelty tune (“My Knight in Black Leather”) before ending up with Midler’s recent discofied hit, “Married Men.”
This aural grab bag is held together by Arif Mardin‘s typically stylish production and Midler’s own remarkable diversity. It’s about time she stopped parodying herself and let her talents speak for themselves.
If you can’t find something to like on this record, you don’t like anything.
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