Deborah Harry
Necessary
10H Street
At 62, Harry can still coo, yowl and soar like she did 30 years ago with Blondie. Necessary Evil could be improved by cutting about five of the 17 songs. A surprise power ballad, “If I Had You”, makes the best use of her emotional range and the sound smorgasbord of Super Buddha, who also backed Scissor Sisters. The combination of deep twang and clap machine is disconcerting on “Love With a Vengeance”, but not enough to wreck harmonies. On “Dirty and Deep,” she’s the cougar of your dreams. Her old band’s amiable thrashing might trump this production. But given the time since Harry’s last record of substance, it’s far from disappointing.
Doug Taylor