Linda Perry: In Flight

Linda Perry was the lead singer of 4 Non Blondes, perpetrators of one of the most unlistenable hit singles of the 1990s, the preach-and-screech anthem "What's Up." Perry mercifully disbanded 4 Non Blondes shortly after that one-hit-wonder success, but she's back with a solo album, In Flight. When Perry contains and restrains her beastly wailings, In Flight isn't intolerable; it's got some languid moments in which the singer recalls subtler (and superior) singers like Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano. But even with the mellower vibe, too many songs are marked by dopey over-emoting and dopier lyrics like "I believe in Jesus / Does Jesus believe in me" (from "Uninvited"). And that's saying nothing of the title track, which she sings from the perspective of a bluebird. Irritating follies like "Fruitloop Daydream" make things worse still, though with "What's Up" behind her, In Flight is far from Perry's darkest hour.