Alanis Morissette refuses to let a man’s flattery go to her head on “Uninvited.” “Mama, You Got a Daughter” finds the singer (John Lee Hooker) telling a woman how committed he is to her grown child (“I’ll love her till the day I die”). In a hard world full of “vultures and thieves,” Sarah McLachlan seeks refuge in the arms of her man (“Angel”). Peter Gabriel’s “I Grieve” speaks of a loved one’s passing and the transcendent nature of true love. On “I Know,” Jude urges a friend stung by heartache to “step away from the edge,” trust and share her feelings (pledging, “I’ll be with you till we grow old”).
U2’s “If God Will Send His Angels” portrays the Lord as indifferent to the needs of men (“God has got His phone off the hook, babe/Would He even pick up if He could?”). Using crude anatomical slang, Paula Cole claims to be “horny,” confuses love with sex, and shares erotic fantasies (“Feelin’ Love”). The Goo Goo Dolls are willing to trade heaven and eternity for a lover’s touch (“Iris”).
There are some pleasant surprises on this mostly positive disc, but a few party crashers–led by Paula Cole–turn City of Angels into a forbidden zone. Disappointing.
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