If half the stories about Phil Spector are true, then he is a mad genius on the order of Drs. Frankenstein and Jekyll. But whereas most people focus on the monstrosity of their creations, we shouldn't forget that all three, as scientists, were also visionaries. Whether you're dallying in corpse reanimation, striving to unleash the human beast, or toiling away at a towering Wall of Sound, you will meet your fair share of naysayers. By 1966, the public's fickle tastes had veered far away from the early- to mid-60s smashes of "Be My Baby" and "Then He Kissed Me." Suddenly there seemed to be no room at the inn for the meticulous, orchestral pop Spector had made so famous, no room unless your album was called Pet Sounds or Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. By any reasonable artistic standard, River Deep - Mountain High is amazing. Tina Turner's singing throughout is a thing of raggedly majestic beauty. On the title track, you can actually hear the toll that Spector's fastidious obsession has taken on her voice and it still manages to transcend his dense, overwhelming production. Stylistically, Turner is unstoppable. She goes blow for blow with the blues on "I Idolize You," matches the sound of a late-night soul throw-down on "A Fool in Love," and injects some R&B power into the pop of "A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)" and "Save the Last Dance." If Ike Tuner was integral as a sessions musician or as the bandleader for their stage show, you couldn't tell that from this. He does kick in some nice bass vocals on "Make 'Em Wait," but his contributions to "It's Gonna Work Out Fine," the album's closer - and only clunker - are embarrassingly bad. It's an artless, egotistical intrusion - like when Diddy used to do that pointless cheerleading over a Biggie Smalls track. This is a nearly perfect album, showcasing Turner in her prime and Spector at the height of his game. It's...aliiiive! Grade: A
