Melissa Manchester: Hey Ricky (Arista, 1982)

Melissa Manchester: Hey Ricky (Arista, 1982)

There was probably room for only one Better Midler in the post-1960s rockscape and this album proves it. Not that it proves it uniquely; all of her releases evince the limited chart reach of the cabaret mode. I singled out this one simply because it leads with "You Should Hear How She Talks About You," her biggest hit and judged by Manchester at the time as a betrayal of Adult Contemporary destiny. A new wavey aerobics stomper that Peter Brown mopped for "Material Girl," it bests Charlie Dore's tepid original. But it's the only item salvageable on an album full of the usual overworked session men (Porcaro, McCracken, etc.) and hackwork from the likes of Carole Bayer Sager, Bernie Taupin, Eric Katz, and Allee Willis. The promising "Hey Ricky (You're A Low Down Heel)" is lost without its non-existent Broadway show. And the biggest crime is "Race to the End," a most unwelcome reminder that Jon Anderson appended lyrics to Vangelis' Chariots of Fire theme.
Grade: C