Admit it: we all love Molly Ringwald. We loved her in the “Brat Pack” film days when she was America’s favorite teen movie star and, heck, some even loved her in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. However, her new jazz album, Except Sometimes, which was released on April 5, could mean one of two things: either Ringwald is finally grasping toward the end of her stalwart showbiz rope, or she simply got bored of being surrounded by so many pregnant co-stars.
If you’re looking for diversity, this album’s got it. Think swanky 1920s jazz bar meets Broadway meets Valencia Lakes Retirement Community karaoke.
The opening song, “Sooner or Later,” kicks the album off with ritzy vocals and a smooth piano riff. Though it’s difficult to ignore Ringwald’s unique yet enjoyable singing abilities, I felt that the entirety of the album was largely similar “Sooner or Later.” They all seemed to follow a specific formula: slow saxophone intro followed by a sleek piano melody then a few cliché lyrics along the lines of “Where is love? Does it fall from skies above? Is it underneath the willow tree that I’ve been dreaming of?”
To give good old Ringwald some credit, there are a few songs that definitely stand out more than others. “Ballad of the Sad Young Men” is a song covered from the old musical “The Nervous Set” and is an acoustic ode to the 1950s’ earnest and simple lyricism. “Exactly Like You” is another song that can receive praise due to its upbeat and lighthearted melody and lyrics such as “Why should we spend money on a show or two? No one does those love scenes exactly like you.” If there’s one thing I truly appreciate about this album, it’s that we get to see Ringwald’s smuttier side.
Unfortunately, there’s a pretty rough bump in the road once we reach the song “Pick Yourself Up.” Being only two minutes long, I feel that this song dies before it gets the chance to go somewhere. It is strongly reminiscent of an old nursery rhyme.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge Ringwald fan. Who isn’t? She could make an album with a mariachi band and it would still sell faster than you can say “Duckie.” And she’s a lot more interesting than most people realize. In the past three years she’s starred on multiple TV shows including Psych and Ru Paul’s Drag U, and she wrote an autobiography and a novel. For some, a Molly Ringwald jazz album comes as no surprise.
But perhaps the reason I can’t fully enjoy this album is because whenever I think of actors and actresses crossing over to the musical side, nothing good ever comes to mind. Instead, I think of Joe Pesci’s rap album and David Hasselhoff’s “Hooked on a Feeling” ballad, with revelatory lyrics like “hooga hooga ooga chakka.”
I wouldn’t be so bold to say that Ringwald is slowly becoming a washed up superstar whose glory will forever remain in the 80s, but, okay, that’s exactly what I’m saying.
The most anticipated and talked about song from the album is her cover of “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” the defining song from The Breakfast Club. Although I would like to say she succeeded in providing an uplifting lamentation to the movie, it fell more akin to a cheesy karaoke cover.
When it all comes down to it, though, I believe Ringwald still deserves some credit for being brave in her numerous artistic experiments. Her jazz album may not be quite as impressive as her classic lipstick trick, but I’d still throw a solid fist in the air for the effort.
Critic’s Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Jackie Braje can be reached at jacquelyn.braje@spartans.ut.edu.