Skinny's Asleep in Wakeland

Overall Album Score: 7.6 out of 10

Well the good news is that this album isn't as crazy-stupid as her previous album, but Wide Awake in Dreamland isn't the sweet bed of cakes and roses as you might have hoped. But it suffices. I suppose. Pat Benatar's loss of commercial prowess was as evident as ever after she released Tropico and she could no longer get a radio staple to save her life! She couldn't get one in this release either, but she sure seemed like she was probing for one.

A few attempts worked well enough, although I'm not too crazy about the only track here that charted on the singles charts: "All Fired Up." Rather, I prefer the title track, which is a rather convincing arena rocker. Also, the '80s ballad "One Love" is lovely with plenty of nice instrumental touches.

Some tracks do deserve compliments in the arrangements department, but others are just cluttered. It's like they're trying to make a Peter Gabriel album or something, but they're not so innovative with their arranging. Well... Nice try at least. Their melodies are certainly better than your average '80s album, but only just. A few tracks are pretty stale and meaningless. None of these melodies are likely going to stick with you long after the album is through.

Overall, this is a rather middle-of-the-road album. It has some good merit, indeed, but it's nothing you're ever going to need unless you're a die-hard Benatar fan. I don't think there are too many of those!

Overall Album Score: 7.6 out of 10 (The final album of Bentar's radio run. It's decent, I guess.)

Average Song Score: 7.9 (This is an altogether listenable album with a few highlights and lowlights.)

Album Tilt: 7.5 (The experience leaves me with mixed emotions. It's not an experience I'll be revisiting soon.)

Artist Rating: 7.5 (Generally above average as this kind of music goes. It could have been better though.)

Track Reviews

All Fired Up 8/10

Pat Benatar wants to get things off on the right foot with the nicely titled "All Fired Up." Well it doesn't get me very fired up, but I guess I'm just that kind of guy. It's a very straight-ahead, middle-of-the-road rocker. The melody is OK but there's no reason for me to want to hear it again. The part where the song gets quieter and slower isn't as fun as the more instrumentally flooded and upbeat moments, but that wasn't so bad. For at-the-moment enjoyment that you can let pass through one ear and out the other, this altogether decent. Neil Girardo seems to be having some fun with his guitar noodling.

One Love 9/10

Here is a nicer composition. It's a typical '80s ballad, except the instrumentation is actually interesting and tasteful. Giraldo again proves that he is a top guitar player --- I love his touches throughout this thing. Otherwise, the instrumentation is beautiful that manages to compliment the melody for more than it was worth. That's what instrumentation is supposed to do, my friends. Who cares if it's a dated '80s song? It's extremely well made and enjoyable.

Let's Stay Together 6.5/10

This is a more thundering song with the overuse of percussion instruments. It turns out to be a rather substantial mess that ended up plaguing her previous record. The melody doesn't work as nicely for me... It's just a standard blues-based melody and chord progression. You can hear some nice guitar licks in the background, but it also contributes to the sloppy mess. (They should have stopped this track before the nothing harmonica solo tacked on at the end, which doesn't contribute anything worthwhile.)

Don't Walk Away 7/10

This is a little less sloppier, but the melody is very sterile. The instrumentation isn't that great here. The chorus, especially, seems forced. There's very little that actually engages my ear, although it seems like they were trying to do that. There's some elaborate arrangements here and complex songwriting, but I guess it was misfired. Well nice try anyway.

Too Long a Soldier 8/10

A sort of '80s-fied country-folk song. It's not really a horrible idea as it might sound (and she had a similar track in Tropico). The melody is a little corny, but it works in its context. The instrumentation is a little more streamlined here and constructive. The chorus is the best part, obviously...

Cool Zero 7.5/10

A typical '80s arena rocker. It's better than average although that's not saying much about it. The melody is OK but the heavily repeated chorus (a shout-out of "Cool Zero!") is corny in a bad way. The instrumentation is solid at least. Again, there's some nice guitar, but it's too subdued by those drums. Benatar certainly delivers a spirited performance!

Cerebral Man 8/10

This is a nicer song with one of the album's better melodies. It's a mid-tempoed track that probably aims to be an art-rocker (with the presence of xylophones and world-music percussion instruments). But all of that is just decoration for what is a usual '80s track. The instrumentation is topped off by some nice, arena-rock style electric guitar work.

Lift 'Em On Up 8.5/10

Ah, finally. Here is a solid little arena-rocker. The melody works more nicely even though it's not tremendously inspired, and I like those synthesizer power chords. That might make my opinion a bit odd --- to like those power chords. (Honestly, you're going to have to like the genre to really enjoy this song, but --- this is one of the better examples.) Benatar delivers one of her spirited performances, as always. The whole experience gets a tad stale by the end, and I deducted it the required points.

Suffer the Little Children 7/10

This is a strange track. It's a mid-tempoed ballad that's largely uninspired. The instrumentation is a bit of a mess --- we hear miscellaneous sounds coming in and out of the speakers that don't serve any purpose but to provide clutter. Whatever happened to Benatar in Tropico? This stuff was done right there.

Wide Awake in Dreamland 9.5/10

But at least the album ends with a shout instead of a whimper. This is probably the best song of the album. It's a loud arena rocker of the nicest caliber. The melody is catchy enough to make me want to tap my foot pleasantly with it, and Giraldo's guitar is crunchy and delicioso. Naturally, all this fits with Benatar's perfect voice like this is this is what she was born to sing. Lovely.

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