Totally Hot
is one of the most fun albums from
Olivia Newton John
. Total abandon is its trademark, the atmosphere lightened up a bit, and from top to bottom it is one of her most satisfying projects.
"Please Don't Keep Me Waiting"
is a
girl group
all grown up. Is it
Newton-John
's voice or
Michael Botticker
's synthesizer at the end of the first track? A little jarring for her
country
audience, but she takes care of them on
"Dancin' 'Round and 'Round,"
a wonderful
country-pop
tune and quick about face. As with the
Let Me Be There
release, her name is prominently splashed on the cover and the tan background suits her well, with the mysterious look with the kerchief on the inside cover as playful as the music.
David Foster
,
Steve Lukather
, and
Tom Snow
add their talents to the project, but it is
, with the guidance of
John Farrar
, who really shines here. Her own
"Talk to Me"
is bouncy
adult contemporary
, but it is the two hit singles which, naturally, stand out.
's
"Deeper Than the Night"
was a nice musical departure for the singer, with its strong piano reflecting the melody. Along with the
smash
"A Little More Love,"
those involved showed that
Olivia Newton-John
could move beyond the three huge hits from the film
Grease
which saturated the airwaves in 1978.
"A Little More Love"
went Top Three in December of 1978, with
hovering around the Top Ten in May of 1979. The album contains a nice balance, something missing from 1985's
Soul Kiss
.
"Borrowed Time"
is more
and is one of the more serious tracks on the album. The cover of
Spencer Davis Group
"Gimme Some Lovin',"
on the other hand, is as close to a drunken party as one will get on a
album.
Jimmy Miller
, producer of the original 1967 hit, would probably approve of the spirit -- it is definitely more fun than
the Blues Brothers
' version which charted three years after this.
actually pens three songs in a row on
, including the title track, and with
's two contributions, the songstress and her producer compose half of this album. That the prolific
didn't contribute more to these albums shows how careful they were about material, but
"Never Enough"
is stunning, and maybe
will take on the
Marvin, Welch, & Farrar
songbook sometime in the future. The precision on the verse and chorus make for a beautiful album track, lyrics that flow perfectly on the singer's voice. The title track is funky and the big mistake on this disc is that
Dr. John
isn't performing a duet with
on this New Orleans adventure. The cover of
Eric Carmen
"Boats Against the Current"
is a nice feather in his cap. It's a dramatic reading that shows the other side of this recording. The
catalog runs deep, and
is one of the more consistently entertaining albums in the collection. ~ Joe Viglione