MacFan you sum up the RAL period nicely. I describe it as my pivotal "in hindsight" reflection on my Idol's career and where I took off the Blue Denim glasses and saw her in a new and different light. Although there are some flourishes throughout RAL where it could've been great, as a cohesive unit album it is a stinker- mostly because of her ragged vocals and poor song selection and development. I can't understand, at all, how anyone can say this is her best album. It has the feeling of putting lipstick on a pig- I recall a reviewer when it just came out said it was like she slapped that 1985 sound on her music and it just doesn't work- I was in shock that he said this because of course, everything she did was a classic and she could do no wrong. You are right about the treasure chest of great material she had at her disposal, but even Jimmy Iovine bailed on the disaster she was quickly becoming. How awful it must have been to be around her. At least even she neglects most of the album now and except HAEWAFY nothing has made it to a set list in decades and that is not a bad thing.
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