A Woman's Got the Power

Last updated
A Woman's Got the Power
A Woman's Got the Power.jpg
Studio album by
the A's
Released1981
Genre Rock, new wave, power pop
Label Arista
Producer Rick Chertoff, Nick Garvey
The A's chronology
The A's
(1979)		A Woman's Got the Power
(1981)		Four Dances
(1982)

A Woman's Got the Power is the second and final album by the American band the A's, released in 1981. [1] The title track was released as the first single. [2] The album peaked at No. 146 on the Billboard 200. [3] The A's supported it with a North American tour. [4]

Contents

Production

The album was produced by Rick Chertoff and Nick Garvey, who oversaw the final three tracks the band recorded for the disc. [5] Its songs were written by bandmembers Richard Bush and Rocco Notte, who were influenced by the work of Holland–Dozier–Holland. [6] Clive Davis, the president of the band's label, Arista Records, asked the A's to record a version of Tom Jans's "When the Rebel Comes Home". [7] The title track, which was the last song recorded, after the band asked for more studio time, references the Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes". [8] [9] The band used a banjo and saxophone on "Heart of America". [10] "Little Mistakes" uses a Phil Spector sound on its ironic treatment of a teenage tragedy song. [11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Buffalo News Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Columbian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Omaha World-Herald Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Philadelphia Inquirer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Quad-City Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The New Rolling Stone Record Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]

The Boston Globe praised the "sly irony" of the A's and said that they "are fitting their slightly cracked vision of the disposable generation to the sort of music teenagers, AM radio listeners and part-time rock fans can understand." [17] The Staten Island Advance noted the band's "exuberance of high spirits confronting musical traditions and styles with honest talent and irreverence", and opined, "Sometimes it's hard to tell if their intentions are parody, pastiche or simply an attempt to cash in on somebody else's formula." [9] The Buffalo News admired "the slick pop brashness". [12]

The Philadelphia Inquirer concluded that the Springsteen influence was almost too blatant but the songs were stronger than the ones on the band's debut. [2] The Quad-City Times said that the album was a combination of new wave, power pop, and "mainstream" rock. [11] Knight Ridder called it "a great record by an unhyped band". [18] The Detroit Free Press considered A Woman's Got the Power "perhaps the most underrated rock release of the year." [19] Trouser Press dismissed the album as "an exercise in misplaced bombast." [20]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."A Woman's Got the Power" 
2."Electricity" 
3."Heart of America" 
4."How Do You Live" 
5."When the Rebel Comes Home" 
6."Johnny Silent" 
7."Little Mistakes" 
8."Working Man" 
9."I Pretend She's You" 
10."Insomnia" 

References

  1. ↑ Amorosi, A. D. (July 4, 2014). "The A's 'Back Together' at Revel: Music that works for the whole band". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. W20.
  2. 1 2 3 Lloyd, Jack (June 5, 1981). "Albums". Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 14.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2018). Top Pop Albums: 1955–2016. Record Research Inc. p. 60.
  4. ↑ Mullinax, Gary (June 21, 1981). "Pop music". Sunday News Journal. p. F6.
  5. ↑ Robins, Wayne (June 12, 1981). "On music". Part II. Newsday. p. 29.
  6. ↑ Pantsios, Anastasia (July 10, 1981). "'Woman's Got the Power' gets A's". Friday. The Plain Dealer. p. 41.
  7. ↑ Fusilli, Jim (June 5, 1981). "'Woman's Got the Power' catchy". The Jersey Journal. p. 2.
  8. ↑ Lloyd, Jack (June 7, 1981). "The A's have high hopes they'll make a mark with their new album". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 8H.
  9. 1 2 Kanzler, George (June 5, 1981). "A's, 9-9-9 and 20-20 all have Beatle roots". Staten Island Advance. p. C8.
  10. ↑ Allen, Greg (June 5, 1981). "The Vinyl Word". The Press. Atlantic City. p. V4.
  11. 1 2 3 Kuchta, Mike (June 14, 1981). "The A's make the grade". Quad-City Times. p. 5D.
  12. 1 2 Anderson, Dale (June 19, 1981). "Records: Rock". Gusto. The Buffalo News. p. 34.
  13. ↑ Seegmuller, Fred (June 12, 1981). "Records". The Columbian. p. 41.
  14. ↑ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. Macmillan. p. 32.
  15. ↑ Catlin, Roger (June 23, 1981). "Follow-Ups Show Improvement". Omaha World-Herald. p. 11.
  16. ↑ The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Random House. 1983. p. 15.
  17. ↑ Flanagan, Bill (September 3, 1981). "Records". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 12.
  18. ↑ Shefchik, Rick (December 18, 1981). "Records". Times-News. Twin Falls. Knight Ridder. p. B7.
  19. ↑ Britt, Bruce (December 6, 1981). "Rock". Detroit Free Press. p. G1.
  20. ↑ "A's". Trouser Press. Retrieved May 24, 2025.
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