0075678212925. New condition. CD. Despite Bette Midler s bawdy cartoonish image her albums are almost always classy A/C collections that are often buried under overproduction. So on Some People s Lives one of the singer s strongest collections it isn t surprising that the only hit From a Distance a song of hope and peace is in keeping with much of her material -- namely poor production that is buoyed by her sterling vocals and strong lyrics. Aside from that however Some People s Lives is a smooth collection of standards like Cole Porter s Miss Otis Regrets and contemporary cuts like Diane Warren s Moonlight Dancing. Kicking off with the punchy One More Round Midler sets the stage for sassy up-tempo numbers then slides into the title song a haunting ballad of despair that shows she is on more solid ground than ever. This is Midler at her best -- playful yearning brassy regretful -- and that is mostly because producer Arif Mardin surrounds his star with respectful production that matches her talent while accenting her strengths. Standouts are the title cut Miss Otis Regrets He Was Too Good to Me/Since You Stayed Here and Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most. ~ Bryan Buss Rovi