Lita Ford

There's no greater downer than when a party-hard fave from decades past gets all serious. We saw it happen to tons of glam bands in the '90s, and it just never worked. Here, guitar goddess Lita Ford comes back with her first album since a bad divorce from Nitro guy Jim Gillette and it shows: this is downer rock at its finest. This means it's no fun to listen to, save the excellent title track and "Love 2 Hate U," both of which employ the life-affirming pop style that coloured Ford's earlier work with so much finesse and, well, fun. The rest? It's about as entertaining to listen to as grunge, which means it's no fun, but I can see how it was an essential part of Ford's healing process post-split. Her voice still sounds great and her superb guitar licks are still there, just buried. By the time album closer "A Song to Slit Your Wrists By" (ugh) comes along, you'll be wishing for a return to the kind of rock she does best. Hopefully, next time.