Totally Hot review
Here are brief reviews on current records.
Olivia Newton-John. “Olivia, Totally Hot.” MCA.
Hey, what happened to that cute-as-a-button Australian lass who charmed her way up the U.S. easy listening and country charts with no trouble at all?
Well, the cute part’s still there, but Olivia Newton-John is trying hard to toughen up her act. Though her new album contains four of her characteristic ballads, the mellow sound is overpowered by the mid-to-uptempo rockers.
Surprise! She handles them well, especially an unabashedly exuberant cover of the Spencer Davis classic, “Gimme Some Lovin’.” Other interesting rockers are “Deeper than the Night” and John Farrar’s perky title track.
The best ballad (and a sure-fire country hit) is a sensitive performance of Adam Mitchell’s “Dancin’ Round and Round.” The singer’s own “Borrowed Time” isn’t bad either.
By Chuck Pratt