Critic's Review
Charles Donovan, All Music Guide
Coltrane's first studio effort for Warner subsiduary Teldec is a mixed bag. Its reliance on synthesisers and gadgetry means that the fresh, organic quality of her early albums is almost lost, in exchange for rather fussy, convoluted arrangements. It doesn't help, either, that both her melodic and harmonic knacks occasionally desert her. "Clouds, Dreams and Love" is a mess of lame chord progressions, and brain-in-neutral hackwork. There's a clinical, cold quality to a lot of the writing here, and those looking for Coltrane's full-blooded, emotional signature style will be disappointed. Ready to Roll is more of a Euro-rock effort. "I Come Back to You," "Don't Hang Up" and "The Last Train" all exemplify Coltrane's new musical stance hyper-serious, and short on humour, with none of the verve or extravagance that made her so special at the beginnning of her career. Only when she returns to straightforward rock, as on "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," are her efforts successful. Her vocal performance is as committed and passionate as ever, and the piano playing that isn't buried in a soup of synthesisers certainly shines, but the songs fall short of expectations.
