After 17 years of firebrand queer feminist punk, former Gossip singer Ditto embraces her southern origins on her solo debut. Though dreaming of Muscle Shoals with an Elvis sneer, the likes of the Dusty-in-Arksansas In and Out, which deals with the realities of marriage, and the swaggering funky soul of Fire are, of course, still punk sharp at heart. A couple of songs hang too much on their belting choruses, but moments such as the disco-Stones shuffle of Oo La La and the unabashed, dreamy balladry of Love in Real Life more than compensate, and it’s a comfort to hear Ditto’s wise, dauntless voice once more.
