|
Mandi Perkins
Alice in No Man's Land
(RCA Victor/Sony BMG)
First Appeared in The Music Box, September 2008, Volume 15, #9
Written by John Metzger
Tue September 2, 2008, 06:30 AM CDT
Opinions regarding Mandi Perkins’ major-label debut Alice in No Man’s Land
are likely to be split right down the middle. Music fans who thrive on
angst-filled melodrama and pumped-up arena-ready choruses will love the
endeavor. Anyone who happens to be looking for something a little more subtle,
however, will find the outing to be so relentless that it quickly becomes
tedious and tiresome.
Throughout Alice in No Man’s Land, Perkins’ influences are obvious.
Drawing a line that connects Pat Benatar, Alanis Morissette, and Avril Lavigne,
she unleashes her frustration over relationships that failed to flourish as well
as the flaws in her own personality. In fact, each of the album’s first 12
tracks examines the pain in her heart and the blackness of her soul from a
different angle. Taken in full, all of it acts as an exorcism of sorts that
eventually brings some much needed relief — at least to her — on This Is
Really the End, the collection’s final cut.
In effect, Alice in No Man’s Land is a concept album that addresses
what it feels like to be lost in the wilderness and be forced to find the way
back home through a process of reflection and self-discovery. In putting
together such a focused set of material, Perkins has demonstrated that she
possesses more maturity than many of the performers who are operating within the
same mold. When she actually gives herself a chance to sing — as opposed to
shouting over a bed of churning guitars and crashing drums — Perkins often
sounds like Natalie Merchant, with, perhaps, a touch or two of Joni Mitchell and
Carole King peeking around the corner.
Nevertheless, although Perkins clearly has the brains and the talent to rise
above the pack, she frustratingly aims her music at the lowest common
denominator in the crowd. Despite the piano interludes and softer touches that
are scattered throughout Alice in No Man’s Land, she never is able to
resist turning each of her songs into a generic, overwrought anthem.
Consequently, she undermines her strengths by removing the dimensionality from
her work. It’s hard not to admire Perkins for taking a stance and sticking with
it, but as Alice in No Man’s Land progresses, its sonic assault simply
becomes too oppressive to bear. 
Of Further Interest...
Pat Benatar - Go
Lucinda Williams - West
Ann Wilson - Hope & Glory
Alice in No Man's Land is available from
Amazon. To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
| 
