Issued in the wake of her mammoth hit "What the World Needs Now Is Love" (included here), this album saw
DeShannon moving in an orchestrated ballad direction. If her work in that field doesn't hold up as well as her more rock-oriented material, she still did quite a good job of it, handling big production numbers like "Summertime," "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying," "I'm Gonna Be Strong," and "Take Me Tonight" with soulful, full-throated gusto. Her best effort in this style, actually, was
Bacharach-
David's "A Lifetime of Loneliness," which was a small hit (and is featured on this LP). As was their wont with
DeShannon, Imperial/Liberty didn't help matters by pasting on a few old tracks from her early-'60s girl group days; they're good, but out of place in the context of this album. A fairly strong but spotty recording by a great artist who was never afforded the opportunities to fulfill her potential. ~ Richie Unterberger