Braver Than We Are
by Meat Loaf

It's a shame this album wasn't made a few years earlier, as it's an interesting set of songs, but by the time he recorded this album Meat Loaf's voice was completely shot.

The better songs are ones where he can get away with mostly speaking the lyrics, like in "Souvenirs" and "More". For songs which he sings, like "Loving You Is A Dirty Job" and "Going All The Way", it sounds like he's just trying to get through the song in one piece. He's lost all his range and power, and he seems to be struggling to even get through the lines sometimes.

If you're a big fan of Meat Loaf or Jim Steinman, it's an interesting album to listen to. Jim Steinman has always recycled his songs and ideas, so if you're familiar with his previous works there's a lot you'll recognise in this, and there's guest appearances from Ellen Foley and Karla DeVito as well.

The album really needs a warning about what to expect, though. Meat Loaf isn't the singer he used to be by this point, and you'll definitely be disappointed if you expect his voice to match any of his earlier albums. Listening to it again, it reminds me a bit of listening to Johnny Cash in his later years. I don't think Meat Loaf leaned into it enough though, and he's trying to pull off songs he just can't handle any more.