She’s the outspoken diva who gave Ireland its fourth victory. Now Linda Martin is paying tribute to other divas with her new album All Woman. The release features cover versions of iconic songs by female performers, including some Eurovision stars.
The first half of the album has 15 covers of songs from decades past. The songs vary in how well known they may be to listeners, but there is the sense that they are all favourites of Linda Martin.
The format of the album brings to mind Amandine Bourgeois’s 2014 album Au Masculin. The French Eurovision star recorded songs by all male artists, giving a female interpretation of songs originally written and performed by men.
All Woman perhaps isn’t as ambitious as that, but it does have an overall concept, taking songs by female artists and interpreting them a so-called “club” style that harkens back to 1980s disco music.
Eurovision features in several tracks, including two former winners. Linda tackles Vicky Leandros‘ 1972 winning song for Luxembourg “Après toi” — though La Martin performs a “Frenglish” mash-up, including the English version “Come What May”.
Swedish Eurovision icon Carola is represented with her 1983 Eurovision entry “Främling”. Linda performs the English version, “Love Isn’t Love”.
Ireland’s first Eurovision winner Dana is also covered. Her 1976 track “Fairytale” is given the Linda Martin treatment. While the Netherlands’ 1990 Eurovision act Maywood is recognised with a cover of their 1980 hit “Give Me Back My Life.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a Linda Martin recording without her two Eurovision entries, “Terminal 3” and “Why Me”. Both tracks are given the album’s club remix style, bringing a different feeling to the big Irish Eurovision ballads.
Martin also covers songs by Polly Brown, Clodagh Rodgers, Charlene, Dusty Springfield, Donna Summer, Clout, Pussycat, Barbara Streisand and The Seekers.
The second half of the album features ten remixes of some album tracks, bring the 1980s club style into the 1990s.
And fans of Charlene’s “I’ve Never Been to Me” are in for a treat: three different versions of the song feature on the album. The track — which is frequently criticised for its sexist lyrics in which a woman, who has lived a rich and full life, laments never having had children — is given three different “club” remixes.
Linda Martin is currently touring Ireland on the Eurovision Legends Tour, along with Irish Eurovision winners Niamh Kavanagh and Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan.
AKA how to kill many classic songs on one CD
Fourth victory, not third :3
Why Me is such a great song and I’m glad that she’s still having a musical career <3
Sometimes I count him once as well just because I’m jealous, it’s fine xDDD
Sounds lame
I know a drag queen when I see one.
Pretty sure she’s not a drag queen…smh
You don’t say. Proving once again that Eurovision fans have no sense of humor. It’s a joke from Petra Mede in 2013. Look it up.
Who really wants to listen to a 71 year old has been singing 70’s disco? I’m not even going to give it or her the time of day, she’s a foul mouthed, ignorant DIVA
There are people who like Linda Martin and what she does. After all, she represented her country twice in Eurovision and won the last time she did.