~Linda Perry~

New "In Flight" released!

Buy it on www.eBay.com & choose yours

REVIEW: Linda Perry, After Hours (Rockstar)

- Chris Hill

      On Linda Perry's Top 10 favorite albums list, she places Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits at number one. Not surprising to those who've heard the ex-4 Non Blondes vocalist. (To jog your memory, "What's Up?" was their ' 93 rocket to multi-platinum success.) Now, as the century fades to a close, she's back with a follow-up to her first solo album, 1995's In Flight, and channeling Joplin with effortless, supernatural ease.

     After Hours can't simply be summed up by name dropping the ghost of Janis. Perry takes chances on this CD: electronically altering her amazing voice on the confessional "Get It While You Can;" bringing in a Little Rascals urchin to lead off "Sunny April Afternoon" with innocent charm.

     By taking chances, Perry walks that fine line between success and failure, tumbling into the latter several times. "Til the Cows Come Home" is annoying, redolent with dysfunctional pride: "We were wasting all the wine/gettin high like two old friends/shootin' shit half wit politics/rockin' til 12:09/till the neighbor up above/ didn't like our point of view/...how we love to raise the brow/of the double shifted family man." And the glam rock of "Somedays Never End" sprawls awkwardly, with clumsy lyrics like "Sometimes I'd like to throw a brick or two/at all the aggravating fates of doom."

     But the successes outweigh the failures. In "Lost Command," Perry deftly explores the healing qualities of love and religion. The song makes a fine one-two combo with the soul-in-jeopardy lyrics of the next cut, "Get It While You Can:" "hell is my heaven/the devil stands right by my side/there ain't no halo/to hang above my life."

     "New Dawn" is a phenomenal piano hymn, with Perry and her backing vocalist Donna Simon harmonizing like eagles in a mating flight, praising the power of Jesus and the strength and pride Perry finds in her gender: "I am woman/a mountain I will climb/I've been beat down and I've been broken/but each day I give it another try." "Fly Away" takes a flight metaphor and grounds it in a bluesy romp that takes the Joplin spirit, strains it through four whiskeys and a pack of smokes, all to showcase the roaring powerhouse that is Perry's voice.

      Most brilliant of all, there's a hidden track following "Carry On," where Perry, the daughter of a Portuguese father and a Brazilian mother, delivers a Latin American slice of heaven. The track should have led off the disc, as proof of her multi-faceted talent. I hope she delivers more of the same on her next outing. But, blues-rock or samba, her voice is a big bad wolf knocking, showing no sign of leaving.

Open the door, and let her in.

, Linda Perry spent her youth struggling with kidney disease and then addiction before focusing on music. Growing up in an artistic and musical household, the young Perry displayed a good share of musical talent and interest from an early age. During her teenage years, Perry floundered in school and tried unsuccessfully to form several bands in the San Diego area. A drug problem prevented the singer/guitarist from starting off her career at an early age, but after a few close calls and a move to San Fransisco in the late '80s, she cleaned up and began making some real artistic and professional gains. During this period, Perry discovered and refined her powerful singing voice. Part Grace Slick, part Johnnette Napolitano, but unique in her own right and a little quirky, it didn't take long before Perry's solo performances at various Bay Area nightclubs were attracting the attention of scenesters and fellow musicians. One such musician was Christa Hillhouse, who was in quest of a new lead vocalist for her group 4 Non Blondes. Hillhouse asked Perry to join up with her outfit, which also included Shauna Hall and Wanda Day. Perry agreed to give it a try and it wasn't long before 4 Non Blondes were being courted and eventually signed by Interscope Records. The group's debut, Bigger, Better, Faster, More, was released on Interscope in 1992. After a very slow start sales-wise, the David Tickle-produced album began to break in 1993 when a modern rock disc jockey in Las Vegas began spinning "What's Up?" Interscope then began pushing the song, which had by this time developed a life of its own. A video was produced and MTV took an immediate and prolonged shine it, giving the band massive exposure. As "What's Up?" became a huge international hit, 4 Non Blondes seemed to be everywhere. During a period of about two years, Perry and her bandmates appeared on the Airheads and Wayne's World 2 soundtracks, released two more singles and accompanying videos (for "Spaceman" and "Dear Mr. President"), toured the globe, appeared on Carpenters and Led Zeppelin tribute releases, and finally appeared on Roger Daltrey's televised 50th birthday party, which ended up being their final performance. While working on their follow-up to the six-million-unit-selling Bigger, Better, Faster, More, Perry left the group due to personal problems within the band. After departing 4 Non Blondes, Perry began work on some solo material and formed her own label, Rockstar Records, which later signed Stone Fox and 2 Lane Blacktop. Perry also began a producing and session career by joining Stone Fox in the studio and helping out on former Bangle Susanna Hoffs' self-titled solo disc. Perry herself was joined by the likes of Grace Slick, Lisa Germano, and Sheryl Crow producer Bill Bottrell on In Flight, her 1996 solo debut. Darker, and more dynamic than her work with 4 Non Blondes, Perry came into her own as an artist on this exceptional recording. Released on Interscope, In Flight was perhaps too dour or sincere to capitalize on the alt-pop success of 4 Non Blondes and the record was hardly noticed by critics, radio, or fans. After In Flight, Perry moved to Southern California and continued working on production and film projects, as well as running her label. In 1999, she released her second solo effort, the stripped-down, almost bluesy After Hours. A fine vocalist, writer, and musician, Linda Perry has led a serious and occasionally subversive career, punctuated by her individualism and sense of artistic purpose.

The daughter of a Brazilian model mother and Portuguese engineer father, Perry first rose to prominence as the singer and guitarist with San Francisco quartet 4 Non Blondes . Formed in 1989, they enjoyed huge commercial success in 1993 with the US Top 20 and UK number 2 single, "What's Up", and the worldwide hit album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More! Perry's songs were the propelling force behind much of the success, leading to internal jealousies and the break-up of the band. Previously, much of her youth had been misspent as a self-confessed "acid head', a predilection that she decided to end after falling from a third-floor balcony. Prior to her musical career she had also worked, more soberly, as an accountant. Many of 4 Non Blondes" songs were lifted directly from her solo repertoire, including "Spaceman", the follow-up to "What's Up".
In the event of her band's collapse, Perry elected to concentrate on a solo career. Her debut album, In Flight , was recorded in Los Angeles with Sheryl Crow collaborator Bill Bottrall. Guests included Grace Slick on the duet "Knock Me Out", and Lisa Germano . It was released on Perry's own Rockstar Records label, which has also signed the bands Stone Fox and 2 Lane Blacktop. Perry's polished sophomore collection, After Hours , was released in late 1999, but failed to trouble the charts. She achieved more success as a songwriter, writing and producing several tracks on US singer Pink 's bestselling album, M!ssundaztood , and providing Christina Aguilera with a transatlantic hit single, "Beautiful" .

      Linda Perry may be best known fo her distinct voice as the lead singer of The 4 Non Blondes, but recently she has returned to the top of the charts as a songwriter and producer with the song "Get the Party Started," performed by Pink.

      In addition to writing and producing the first single, Linda also produced and co-wrote 7 other tracks on the album entitled "M!sundaztood".

      As lead singer and key songwriter for the group The 4 Non Blondes, Linda Perry earned huge commercial and critical success with the band's international hit, "What's Up?" The group was a top club band in San Francisco's music scene in the early 90's. They were soon signed to Interscope Records and released their debut album, "Bigger, better, faster, more!" which achieved international success selling more than 7 million records worldwide.

      In the following year the band toured with such musical talent as Aerosmith, Prince and Neil Young. A highlight for Linda was her solo performance with a 55-piece orchestra at the "Roger Daltrey Sings Pete Townshend" show conducted by Michael Kamen at Carnegie Hall.

      After her departure from The 4 Non Blondes, Linda took on a variety of creative ventures including recording her critically acclaimed solo album on interscope entitled "In Flight," produced by Bill Bottrell and featuring "Knock Me Out" a duet with Grace Slick. She also started her own record label, Rockstar Records, where she began working and collaborating with other artists.

      Rockstar released albums by Stone Fox (produced by Linda) and Two Lane Black Top (produced by Bill Bottrell). Linda also produced the independent film"Pink as the Day she was Born" which starred Alanna Ubach and Margaret Cho.

       Now she produces for a many popular artists, from Christina Aguilera and Pink to KoRn and Courtney Love. And she is looking for a new talents to come and share! Like Sierra Swan and James Blunt. And that is not the end soooo far. She's going to rule the world of music industry with her constant power and feeling of total feminism. Cuz she IS the boss.