Loud 'n' dirty
09/01/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Excellent debut solo album from the founder of Throwing Muses, Breeders and Belly, and a singer whose voice alone is always worth the purchase price. Marriage (to Juliana Hatfield Three bassist Dean Fisher) may have softened the spike of some of Donelly's tunes - the chorus of Mysteries of the Unexplained is a gorgeous string-swelling thing - but the lyrics are as neurotic and oblique as ever. The rejection and obsession chronicled in singles Bum and Pretty Deep are a constant theme, laid bare in the claustrophobic Breathe Around You's dissection of a suffocating relationship. Various Pixies, Muses and Sebadoh types contribute to the growling riffs and crunching drive of Bright Light and Landspeed Song - guitar pop as it was meant to be played: loud 'n' dirty - while the tumbling acoustic thrills of Goat Girl usher in the windswept Manna, a worthy successor to Stay and Judas My Heart in the ballad-so-big-it-hurts stakes. With songs as good as this on their side, no wonder everyone loves an underdog."
No album has ever moved me emotionally like this.
03/05/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have followed Tanya Donelly's work ever since she was in Throwing Muses. I was there for her work with The Breeders, and best of all, Belly. Now, as a solo artist, she's developed even further. Thanks to Tanya for releasing the best album I have ever heard in my life. No album has ever moved me emotionally like this. From the pop highlights of tracks such as "Pretty Deep" and "The Bright Light", to the dark realms of "Acrobat" and "Manna", Lovesongs For Underdogs will take you on the emotional roller coaster of your life. This album is most enjoyable when driving on a road trip, however, the music itself is a journey."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1