August 5-11, 2004

musicpicks

Ronnie Spector

ROCK/POP

The Ronettes were the baddest of the girl groups, in all the right ways. And — with all due credit to Phil Spector's wall of sound — Ronnie Spector's exotic tough-girl image and cool, coy, cooing lead vocals were the reason. Over the years, she's toured and written an autobiography, but her studio output has been sporadic. A 1999 EP on Kill Rock Stars seemed like the perfect re-introduction to generations of radio listeners that knew "Be My Baby" and "I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine" only as oldies. Produced by Joey Ramone, She Talks to Rainbows' covers of the titular Ramones' track and The Beach Boys' "Don't Worry Baby" have just the right blend of smoke and sass. A follow-up was said to be imminent, but five years later, she's still working on it. Considering it took more than 10 years for her to release Something's Gonna Happen, an EP of bouncy Marshall Crenshaw covers, exhale already and grab a seat under the sky. Enjoy the classics, and take the few new songs as "a promise to the stars above." (The Crystals added that to their version of "I Wonder," so you can't hold Ronnie to it.)

Thu., Aug. 5, 8 p.m., free, Cooper River Park, North Park Dr., Pennsauken, N.J., www.ccparks.com.

—M.J. Fine