Based on
Sinéad O'Connor's version of "You Do Something to Me" (a highlight on the Red Hot + Blue album), an album of pop standards performed with a big band might have actually worked. At times, such as on "Success Has Made a Failure of Our Home" and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina,"
Am I Not Your Girl? does work. However,
O'Connor runs into trouble with acknowledged standards and songs heavily identified with other vocalists. She doesn't offer a new perspective on these songs, and her airy voice is buried by overwrought string arrangements. Plus, there's
O'Connor's bizarre two-minute rant on love, hatred, herself, and the Catholic Church. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine