THE GOSSIP > Music for Men

Beth Ditto could refresh American Idol’s vocal-visual dichotomy since the singer has deft pipes and a proneness to be pictured, proudly overweight, on magazine covers.

GOSSIP

Music for Men

(COLUMBIA)

[Rating: 2.5 stars]

Beth Ditto could refresh American Idol’s vocal-visual dichotomy since the singer has deft pipes and a proneness to be pictured, proudly overweight, on magazine covers. Instead, the Arkansas native beat obscurity through indie-rock with a mixture of Patti Labelle, dance-punk, and humor (e.g. eating pizza while performing) on Standing in the Way of Control. Opening the Rick Rubin-produced Music for Men, “Dimestore Diamond” applies post-punk chops to a soul model, a successful if superfluous hybridization. On single “Heavy Cross,” a disco track that pendulates between a verse of Blondie-glitz and a chorus of enraged vocals/angular guitars, Ditto irately bemoans this “cruel cruel world.” Previous to this release, Ditto had fun with her big girl image; the fun is over on Music for Men, and so, too, is the allure.