Bette Midler: Bette Of Roses (1995)

One of the great things about Bette Midler is the eclecticism of her music. From soulful, piano based moments like "Superstar" and "Am I Blue", to the pop ballads "The Rose", "Wind beneath my Wings" and "From a Distance", the outrageous, breathless comedy of her live albums, to the explosive rock of "The Rose" soundtrack, versus her 1979 disco offering "Thighs and Whispers", and from writers as diverse as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards to Cole Porter of American musical fame. Oh and not to mention her performance as Rose in the legendary "Gypsy" by Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents. It's all there, all through the back catalogue of albums.

Today's album, "Bette of Roses" released in 1995 on Atlantic Records, is no different. Aunty Wiki explains in the composition section that it "marked a change in musical direction as it exclusive included contemporary material composed by songwriters in the soft rock, country and folk genres such as Cheryl Wheeler, Maria McKee, Bonnie Hayes, Marc Jordan, Tonio K, Andy Hill, Pete Sinfield and Roger Cook."

From the first song, "I Know This Town", I was immediately struck by that "change in musical direction" even if I wasn't overly familiar with the style of music. As someone who is an immense fan of Bette's next offering, 1998's "Bathhouse Betty", and wasn't just going to embrace the one that came before it, I was pretty quickly won over. That's a credit to that opening song. It was inviting, warm, comfortable and fun, and Bette probably had a really good time making this album.

Heaven knows she went to a lot of effort putting it together! "Midler is said to have personally chosen the track listing from "hundreds and hundreds of songs"," cites Aunty Wiki from All Music's review. But that is a lot of decision making, especially for something that seems to sound effortless! I guess that is one of the achievements of this album.

Did it work though? For me, yes. For the public at large, that's debatable. A friend of mine, if I'm remembering my stories correctly, heard this album and was so disappointed, "like watching paint dry", that they didn't even bother with any of her new albums again. I have to admit, just on the basis of "To Deserve You" included on the 1996 reissue of "Experience the Divine" I wasn't in any hurry to listen to the album myself. When I found a copy second hand, I was simply delighted that I'd filled up another gap in my collection. But listening to it, I found myself regretful that I'd been missing out on the fun all this time. But how was that? Why hadn't I heard it prior to this?

One reason is practical: back in the 90s when I started listening to this music, you didn't have the freedom to just walk into Sanity and buy any album you wanted. With second hand, you can walk into your local Vinnies or Salvos and come out with ten discs having just spent what? The price of a single album you would have purchased from Brashs in 1996?! That’s remarkable. But as a kid, I was lucky enough to have "Experience the Divine" and "Bathhouse Betty" which were bought for me on the same day!

The other reason I've already mentioned: my opinion is not immediately shared by the rest of the world, but in my opinion that's a pity, and in my opinion the rest of the world is missing out. In *my* opinion, if you enjoyed "Beaches", "Some People's Lives", "For the Boys" and "Bathhouse Betty", then *I* think you're going to enjoy this album.

Some music and production details: the album was produced by Arif Mardin who had been working on and off with Bette Midler since her 1972 debut. The album "as a whole was geared towards the American adult contemporary and adult Top 40 markets rather than the pop or dance charts." And I wonder whether or not that may have been a mistake.

In terms of chart performance, it reached #45 on the US Billboard 200, #51 on Australian Albums, #55 in the United Kingdom, and #69 in Canada, as well as #74 in Germany and a somewhat more impressive #45 in Japan. Aunt Wiki is right when she says this was Bette’s lowest performing album since "No Frills", released twelve years earlier, which was not the best time in Bette’s career. The album eventually went Silver in the UK at 60,000 copies while it achieved Platinum in the US at 1 million.

There were two singles: "In This Life" written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin, first recorded by country singer Collin Raye in 1992. That version went #1 on the US Country Songs Billboard chart, while I can't even find *anything* here about Bette's version. Redemption for this whole album, if you ask me, comes in the form of the first single: "To Deserve You". Written by Maria McKee, "To Deserve You" was given a dance remix by producer Arif Mardin which culminated in a 1996 Number 1 on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. That version is also the one we hear on the 1996 "Experience the Divine". You will not hear it on the original album, but I can live with that. It means the album that I personally enjoyed has been vindicated in some way. I'm more than thrilled about that.

With that said, let's take a look at the songs.

"I Know This Town"---written by Cheryl Wheeler, this was a very good first impression of this album for me and I always enjoy the vibes whenever it comes on.

"In This Life"---this and the next three offerings definitely live up to the Adult Contemporary aim that this album was going for. I can see why this was released as a single and I can see why it did so well in Collin's original version.

"Bottomless"---written by Bonnie Hayes, this is one I can instantly remember when I look at the title. That stands it in good stead alone.

"To Comfort You"---written by Ian Thomas, this is one of the highlights of the album for me. It has a wistful, mellow, almost dreamy vibe that I find myself really responding to as a listener.

"To Deserve You"---and here comes the big single, but this is the original version, also included at the end of 1996's "Experience the Divine". I've always liked this song.

"The Last Time"---Maria McKee gives us a second offering. This contains probably the highest notes I have ever heard Bette sing on any recording ever. From the first time hearing this, I was truly impressed by that. And that alone is why Bette fans should give this album a go, even if you decide that you don't like it after all.

"Bed of Roses"---a second offering from Bonnie Hayes, this also gives us the album title, albeit as "Bette of Roses". I would have released this as a single too, and maybe they wanted to.

"The Perfect Kiss"---written by Scott Tibbs and Marc Jordan, this one feels reminiscent of something that might have appeared on "Some People's Lives", which I like. It's always good to have that little continuity, even if this is only something I'm picking up on as a listener.

"As Dreams Go By"---written by Andy Hill and Pete Sinfield, which is especially notable for me as they also wrote the Jim Steinman produced Celine Dion single "Call the Man", this is another one that ought to have been released as a single. I can imagine it showing up on radio stations to this day.

"It's Too Late"---from songwriters Tonio K, Bob Thiele Jr and Bonnie Hayes, here is another one that instantly sticks in my mind from just seeing the title. Could this have been a single?

"I Believe in You"---written by Sam Hogin and Roger Cook, this is a great one if you loved Bette's appearance on the last Johnny Carson Show, and also "Laughing Matters" at the end of her next album. This one *totally* should have been a single, and in fact I believe it could have attained the kind of success Bette had with "From a Distance".

And that brings us to the end of the review, folks. Coming up next: Bette's first album on Warner Brothers Records, and also one of my favourites, 1998's "Bathhouse Betty"!

Thank you,

Ryan.