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Her third studio album in the course of three decades, Crazy Little Things displays Lynda Carter’s penchant for country, soul and pop. Unlike 2009’s At Last, which meandered with snooze-worthy interpretations of standards, this new effort helps the original Wonder Woman find a happy balance of tempo, style, and interpretation. The surprising opening number is the Al Green evergreen, “Let’s Stay Together.” While there’s no comparison to the soul-meister’s original, Carter does it justice by adapting it to her own serene vocal approach. The fullness of the instrumentation and background vocals doesn’t hurt, either.
Throughout Crazy Little Things, Carter combs through classics from the likes of Queen (“Crazy Little Thing Called Love”), Martha & The Vandellas (“Heat Wave”), The Eagles (“Desperado”), and Shirley & Lee (“Let the Good Times Roll”). With a nimble tone, she interprets each tune duly —respectful of the original melody and phrasing, but flexible enough to add pleasing new flourishes of her own. Perhaps this is most evident on her slowed-down take of The Drifters’ “Up On the Roof.” Surprisingly, not out of line with these 12 covers is her own composition, “Jessie’s Song.” Fitting right into the mix as the lone new track, it’s country with a soulful edge — a combination of qualities which the singer and her musicians pull off with grace from beginning to end on Crazy Little Things.
