Veronica Garabelli
Social Media Director
Sometimes it’s hard to remember that Courtney Love is 45 years old. Her countless battles in the media don’t scream maturity. However, Hole’s new album “Nobody’s Daughter” (with Love as the only original member) proves Love is composed (for the moment) and legitimately deserves praise for an excellent comeback.
When the feuds are put aside (think Billy Corgan’s recent Twitter rant where he accused Love of using his songs on “Nobody’s Daughter”) this is a remarkable album. Love says she penned the songs during a rehab stint, which explains the album’s softer, reflective tone. Most of “Nobody’s Daughter” is bare guitars coupled with Love’s raspy vocals and pity me lyrics.
The opening track, “Nobody’s Daughter,” sets the moody vibe that is apparent for the rest of the album. It features some beautiful strings on top of elevating guitars that finally switch off to stripped vocals and chords. “Honey” has Kurt Cobain written all over it (“He goes down, down to his only friend/He knows now, now that you love him/He goes down, down to his bitter end/He knows now, now you can’t touch him.”) In “Letter to God” Love acknowledges her bad reputation (“I never wanted to be/Some kind of comic relief/Please show me who I am) and strives for something better. Though most of the tracks are low key, some are punk inspired (the bonus track “Loser Dust” and the captivating single “Skinny Little Bitch”).
Although Love might easily be the most hated figure in Rock and Roll, more known for chasing money than music, “Nobody’s Daughter” is surprisingly a lyrically mature album and cohesive body of work. It looks like Love is having the last laugh.
Grade: A+
For fans of: PJ Harvey, Smashing Pumpkins, Bush
Download (don’t steal): “Nobody’s Daughter” by Hole
Leave a Reply