| Female Trouble | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1987 | |||
| Label | EMI America | |||
| Producer | Dan Hartman, Nona Hendryx | |||
| Nona Hendryx chronology | ||||
| ||||
Female Trouble is an album by the American musician Nona Hendryx, released in 1987. [1] [2] It was her first album for EMI America. [3] The album is dedicated to Winnie Mandela. [4] "Why Should I Cry?" was the first single. [5] Female Trouble peaked at No. 96 on the Billboard 200. [6]
Female Trouble was produced mostly by Dan Hartman and Hendryx; Hendryx was unable to find a producer to helm the entire album. [7] [8] Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jellybean Johnson, and the System also contributed to the album. [9] [7] [10] "Baby Go-Go" was written by Prince; it contains backing vocals from George Clinton and Mavis Staples. [5] "Winds of Change (Mandela to Mandela)", a duet with Peter Gabriel, was inspired by letters sent to Nelson Mandela by Winnie. [5] Bass player T. M. Stevens raps on "Big Fun". [11]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Los Angeles Times | [13] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [14] |
Trouser Press wrote that "Hendryx's irrepressible full-throttle approach makes this an invigorating blast, a tough-minded party record about sex and sexual politics." [4] The Washington Post stated: "Smarter than the average dance tracks, the nine sonically intriguing songs give up new details after repeated listening." [15] The Los Angeles Times opined that, "grossly over-produced by a revolving crew of knob-twirlers, Female Trouble is a textbook example of a funk-rock style best described as Thunderdome Pop." [13]
The St. Petersburg Times deemed "Rhythm of Change" "a hearty heavy metal tune that could match hooks and guts with most any of rock radio's staple songs." [11] The Star Tribune called the album "long on glittery form and short on substance." [7] USA Today determined that Hendryx "is too old and too smart to settle on playing the funky ingenue... Instead, she alternately—and comfortably—plays sexy and serious." [16] The Sydney Morning Herald concluded that, "ballads excepted, it's Hendryx's most impressive album for years." [17]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Know What You Need (Pygmy's Confession)" | |
| 2. | "Big Fun" | |
| 3. | "Baby Go-Go" | |
| 4. | "Rhythm of Change" | |
| 5. | "Why Should I Cry?" | |
| 6. | "Too Hot to Handle" | |
| 7. | "Winds of Change (Mandela to Mandela)" | |
| 8. | "Female Trouble" | |
| 9. | "Drive Me Wild" |
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