Courtney Love

Been waiting for Grandma Grunge to unhinge a solo joint, and this slab o’ jabbering wocky does not disappoint. Ol’ Court sounds like Blazing Saddles chanteuse Lili Von Shtupp, all scribbled sideways on Rush Limbaugh drugs, channeling Marianne Faithfull and old Shocking Blue singles over generic rock tracks purloined from some bootleg Dutch “punkrokkenbakken 2.0” software. America’s Sweetheart is a guilty pleasure, like eating at Jimboy’s or reading trashy true-crime paperbacks. The up-tempo stuff (“Mono,” “All the Drugs” and “I’ll Do Anything”) ain’t bad; the power ballads suck, and laughably so. But legends in their own minds always make for funny, and there’s nothing like hearing a near-40-year-old junkie try to reinvent the Runaways as a stepping stone toward the center box on Hollywood Squares.