Deborah Harry Debravation (Chrysalis).
WHEN the power pop of Blondie broke into the charts in the late 1970s, lead singer Deborah Harry was already in her early 30s.
At the time, that was too old to be taken seriously - both the punk and new wave movements were youthful affairs. But, hormonal lust and a few snappy tunes prevailed and Harry became the sex goddess of the generation.
Despite her icy-cool style, nothing could mask the fact she often strained to hit the notes, but - with the help of guitarist Chris Stein - she had a knack for penning songs that anticipated commercial trends (the Eurobeat of Heart of Glass or the rap ofRapture come to mind).
So, at 48, what has Harry left to offer? With her fourth post-Blondie album, Debravation, she has come up with her best effort to date - a mature release which could contain some Top 10 hits and is easily more consistent in quality than any of the Blondie albums.
Some of the credit goes to Stein.