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Female Trouble (album)

Female Trouble is an album by the American musician Nona Hendryx, released in 1987.[1][2] It was her first album for EMI America.[3] The album is dedicated to Winnie Mandela.[4] "Why Should I Cry?" was the first single.[5] Female Trouble peaked at No. 96 on the Billboard 200.[6]

Production

Female Trouble was produced mostly by Dan Hartman and Hendryx; Hendryx was unable to find a producer to helm the entire album.[7][8] Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jellybean Johnson, and the System also contributed to the album.[9][7][10] "Baby Go-Go" was written by Prince; it contains backing vocals from George Clinton and Mavis Staples.[5] "Winds of Change (Mandela to Mandela)", a duet with Peter Gabriel, was inspired by letters sent to Nelson Mandela by Winnie.[5] Bass player T. M. Stevens raps on "Big Fun".[11]

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that "Hendryx's irrepressible full-throttle approach makes this an invigorating blast, a tough-minded party record about sex and sexual politics."[4] The Washington Post stated: "Smarter than the average dance tracks, the nine sonically intriguing songs give up new details after repeated listening."[15] The Los Angeles Times opined that, "grossly over-produced by a revolving crew of knob-twirlers, Female Trouble is a textbook example of a funk-rock style best described as Thunderdome Pop."[13]

The St. Petersburg Times deemed "Rhythm of Change" "a hearty heavy metal tune that could match hooks and guts with most any of rock radio's staple songs."[11] The Star Tribune called the album "long on glittery form and short on substance."[7] USA Today determined that Hendryx "is too old and too smart to settle on playing the funky ingenue... Instead, she alternately—and comfortably—plays sexy and serious."[16] The Sydney Morning Herald concluded that, "ballads excepted, it's Hendryx's most impressive album for years."[17]

Track listing

References

  1. ^ "Nona Hendryx Biography by John Dougan". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  2. ^ "People Are Talking About...". Jet. Vol. 72, no. 8. May 18, 1987. p. 56.
  3. ^ Okamoto, Shari (May 1, 1987). "Nona Hendryx's new album...". Daily Breeze. p. E12.
  4. ^ a b "Nona Hendryx". Trouser Press. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Goldstein, Patrick (1 Mar 1987). "Pop Eye". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 81.
  6. ^ "Nona Hendryx". Billboard. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Bream, Jon (29 May 1987). "Nona Hendryx, 'Female Trouble'". Star Tribune. p. 3C.
  8. ^ Snyder, Michael (August 30, 1987). "A Princely Gathering Gave Hendryx Her Boost". Sunday Datebook. San Francisco Chronicle. p. 65.
  9. ^ Hunt, Dennis (28 Apr 1987). "Hendryx's Star Riding on 'Female Trouble'". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 3.
  10. ^ "Fortune might also smile on ex-LaBelle vocalist...". L.A. Life. Los Angeles Daily News. May 1, 1987. p. 26.
  11. ^ a b Snider, Eric (24 May 1987). "Appealing, even if not commercially". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2E.
  12. ^ "Female Trouble Nona Hendryx". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  13. ^ a b McKenna, Kristine (3 May 1987). "Thunderdome Pop". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 57.
  14. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 324.
  15. ^ Brown, Joe (1 May 1987). "Chairwomen of the Boards". The Washington Post. p. N19.
  16. ^ Milward, John (3 June 1987). "Nona Hendryx: Female Trouble". USA Today. p. 5D.
  17. ^ Barber, Lynden (May 25, 1987). "The Studio Is the Instrument". The Guide. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 5.