This Weeks Forgotten Gem of the 80s Rachel Sweets Take Good Care of Me

While searching for a song to spotlight this week in this space, I've encountered a few unexpected obstacles, including a minor but nevertheless derailing bout with illness, an unlikely near-duplication of another entry I wrote two years ago involving Adam Ant, and general early-month sluggishness I've by now come to expect from myself. But I think I've punched through the paralysis now that I've stumbled upon the relatively brief but always interesting music career of American singer-songwriter Rachel Sweet. I also did another smart thing to help me get out of my own way; I consulted my wife about her gut reaction to my song selection for this week.

While listening to the punchy guitar rock of "Take Good Care of Me," an energetic album track from Sweet's 1980 LP Protect the Innocent, I immediately noted the similarity between Sweet's swaggering vocal style and that of Pat Benatar, another woman with powerful pipes who deftly employed power guitars in her music. However, when I asked my wife for her initial impression, she quickly referenced Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, noting the bouncy, somewhat ska-like rhythms of Sweet's track as well as the plaintive urgency of both artists' vocal styles. Ultimately, I think both impressions are completely accurate, without offering a complete description or explanation of why Sweet's work should be regarded more highly than it is. Pigeonholed a bit into the sweeping early-'80s new wave category, Sweet actually stands rather independently as a versatile rock artist (like Benatar and The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde) who would only be compromised by genre restrictions.

• Sample or download "Take Good Care of Me" here.
• Compare prices on Rachel Sweet CDs here.
• Top Pat Benatar Songs of the '80s
• Top Pretenders Songs of the '80s

Album Cover Image Courtesy of Stiff/Columbia