Most of Ian's new material [on Miracle Row] recycles old musical ideas, again evoking the hypocrisies of social rituals and romantic encounters. However, these miniatures are problematic due to the obsessiveness of Ian's craft: by combining melodramatic chords and claustrophobic rhymes, she reconstructs her psychological perceptions too literally.

Still, there are a couple of nice moments. "I Want to Make You Love Me" has a more relaxed melodiousness than one customarily associates with Ian, and the ambitious "Miracle Row/Maria" successfully evokes a complex relationship between two women. But nothing here can compare with "At Seventeen" and "Water Colors," which are Ian's two finest songs because they blend her propensity for psychodrama into a broader narrative scheme. Maybe Ian should develop her ability to be expansive as well as clinical. (p. 79)

Stephen Holden, "Records: 'Miracle Row'," in Rolling Stone (by Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. © 1977; all rights reserved; reprinted...