This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
“Did you miss me?” asks Courtney Love. And if you’re like me, your answer is: That depends.
If you’re talking about rock-goddess Courtney who made Pretty On The Inside and Live Through This — two of the best punk albums of the ’90s not made by her husband b — then, hell yeah, I missed her. But if you’re talking about the other Courtney — the fame addict who seemed to have given up music for and endless cycle of drug abuse, tawdry affairs, court cases and rehab stints — well, her we could all do without. But of course, things are never as easy as that. You can’t have Good Courtney without Evil Courtney — at least, not on the ironically titled comeback album America’s Sweetheart, her debut solo disc and first new music in more than five years.
As you might expect from someone who seems about as stable as a two-legged barstool, this dozen-song set is a schizophrenic affair. Much of the time — like on the slamming leadoff single Mono, the chugging Strokes flirtation But Julian, I’m a Little Bit Older Than You, the swaggering All Those Drugs, the chunky Zeplin Song, the power-poppy Hello and the Teen Spirit grungefest I’ll Do Anything — she’s rock-goddess Courtney. The one with the banshee wail, the Marshall stack and one foot propped on the monitor. The one who kicks ass and takes names. The one who deserves her self-appointed crown as Queen of Rock.
Most of the rest of the time, though, she’s rock star Courtney. The one who sloppily tosses off bland filler and shimmery power ballads like Hold On To Me, Uncool, Life Despite God and Never Be The Same. The one whose voice sounds as trashed as her reputation. And the one who has traded feminist lyrics for superficial soft-core couplets like “Erotic City VIP / The porno-riffic girl is me.”
So who wins? Well, once the points are tallied, I’d have to give this round to Good Courtney — despite some obvious flaws, America’s Sweetheart is more hit than miss. Of course, you know it’s only a matter of time until Evil Courtney rears her head again.
