Joan Jett

As exciting as it is to know that Joan Jett hasn’t mellowed a bit, it would be even more exciting if she put out a great comeback record. Ever since her riot grrrl re-appraisal a whopping 12 years ago now, Jett’s been relatively silent on the recording front, though she’s remained a touring force. The problem here lies entirely with the new material, co-written mostly with Le Tigre’s Kathleen Hanna and former Bryan Adams collaborator Jim Vallance. The strange thing is that those two aesthetic arch-enemies actually share credit on some of the same songs, the results being the dog’s breakfast you’d think they would be. Things get downright silly on Jett’s own "Fetish,” featuring a "vocal arrangement by Kathleen Hanna” that has Jett articulating the title like "fat dish.” In Jett’s tradition of nailing cover versions, the two best tracks are the Sweet’s bitter bisexual anthem "A.C.D.C.” and the Replacements’ "Androgynous” — sadly, that’s about as queer as it gets. Jett fans who want to hear her get her rocks off should check her Peaches collab on Impeach My Bush instead.