The Other Side Of The Mirror Appreciation Thread

[sorcerer999]

I scoured all the previous threads, but couldn't find an "OSOTM" appreciation thread.

I really want to discuss this album because for some reason I've been listening to it NONSTOP since the beginning of the year, after I decided to take a break from 24KG. I don't know what prompted me to do so, but one day I was just in the mood to listen to "Alice", which was never one of my favorites. Well after listening to the whole album that day, and continuing to do so a few times a week since then, "Alice" is now one of my favorites. As is "Ghosts", "Cry Wolf" and "Fire Burning" which I never really enjoyed in the past. I would even venture to say, in my opinion, that "Fire Burning" is one of the MOST pretentious songs she's ever written, but for some reason I'm feeling it right now.

I'm feeling ALL of them actually, and really starting to enjoy this album as a whole entity for the first time. Ever since it came out in 1989, I just picked out my absolute favorites ("Rooms", "Long Way", "Ooh My Love" and "Doing The Best...") and pretty much ignored the rest. Probably due to the fact that, for the first time EVER, Stevie's music had wandered into the "Adult Contemporary" category...and I was 13 years old and still very much into Pop, Rock and Soul, and would eventually graduate to Grunge and Alternative just a few short years later. This album didn't speak to me at that time in the way it does now in 2015. Strange.

I posted on some other forum that I thought this is the ONE Stevie album that sounds the most "dated", because even "Wild Heart" and "Rock A Little" still carry textures that have been recaptured in current popular and indie music. Because of that fact, I think most fans (at least a lot of them that I've discussed this album with) consider this one of their least favorite albums. However there are sooooooo many great songs to be found here, and I have a feeling, years and years after Stevie has left us, that THIS album will be a "cult favorite" among generations to come...Like it never seems to be given its due praise among the ranks of her earlier and later solo efforts. It seems to be stuck in the middle and in more of a "time warp" than all the others. Am I making any sense, whatsoever?

I apologize if I am just recycling an "old topic", but since we've been talking a lot lately about TISL, IYD and 24KG, I wanted to read everyone's opinions about this album as well.