debtFor nearly five decades, Kate Pierson is best known for her dulcet voice, super-busty hair and keyboard playing in the B-52s, but she's also appeared on REM's Shiny Happy People, the Ramones' Chop Suey and sang with Iggy Pop on Candy. She always sings like she's enjoying every minute, and her second solo album is bouncy and upbeat because, she says, “I wanted to put something positive out there in these dark times.” Even at 76, Pierson's voice is still distinctly Love Shack. Recorded with some of David Bowie's late musicians, these 12 tracks glide effortlessly between electropop, Bangles-esque rock, dance and disco. There's even a touch of lovers rock on the extremely catchy Pillow Queen.
Though positive slogans abound, Radios & Rainbows has grit and dark undertones. As the title suggests, behind the brassy grooves of Evil Love lurks a tale of possessiveness and revenge. Her activism fuels the empowerment anthem Higher Place (“The fight stirs up a riot within us/We embrace the truths denied us”) and Dream On, which borrows from Patti Smith's People Have the Power. The B-52s-inspired Take Me Back to the Party finds Pearson as a funky Cinderella on the dance floor, yearning for the ball. The deepest undercurrent is The Beauty of It All, a deeply personal song about how meeting his wife Monica saved Pearson from a bad relationship and sums up the album's purpose: “When you're feeling down, I'm there for you.”
