Patty Smyth walked away from her career in the '90s, choosing to trade the spotlight for her family. Once her children reached adolescence, she slowly started performing again, first with a lowkey Scandal reunion in the 2000s, then with the holiday album Come On December in 2015. It wasn't until 2020 that she returned with new original songs for the mini-LP It's About Time. The very title suggests Smyth knows that perhaps it's been too long since she's delivered new material, and there's a sense on the album that she isn't especially interested in engaging with the music of the modern world, even if she's eager to grapple with middle-aged emotions of bittersweet acceptance and enduring love. Sonically, It's About Time is stuck halfway between the anthemic arena rock of Scandal and the burnished adult contemporary of "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough," but the key to this production is that it's neither nostalgic nor retro: this is simply Smyth's milieu, one that showcases both the power and sensitivity of her voice. Smyth sounds convincing in either setting, building up the drama on "Only One" and letting the heartbreak of "No One Gets What They Want" simmer, which is why it's slightly disappointing that It's About Time concludes with covers of Tom Waits' "Downtown Train" and Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe." Both are good, soulful renditions but their presence highlights how It's About Time is closer to a comeback EP than a comeback LP. Maybe it's churlish to wish there were more originals here, but the record is strong enough to ignite that wish, which means it's certainly a successful comeback.
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