SHE is a figure whose notoriety looms larger than her music. So it's strange that this is actually the first solo album by Courtney Love - having finally disbanded Hole, the primal grunge-rock outfit she first came to fame fronting.

Love's much-publicised drug-addled car-crash lifestyle, loudmouth opinions, occasional movie career and of course, the tragic shadow of being Kurt Cobain's widow, are impossible to put aside when listening to her music - which thrives on all of the above.

Her songs are, as ever, drawn from the dark side of Hollywood hedonism, and, on a song such as All The Drugs In The World, she shows no sign of apology for her rock'n'roll lifestyle - even as a 39-year-old mother.

Musically however, she may just have grown up a bit.

America's Sweetheart sees her form a surprisingly effective partnership with 4 Non Blondes' Linda Perry, sometime songwriter to the likes of Pink and Christina Aguilera.

So, Love's raw, brazen voice and raucous guitar riffs are subtly steered towards mainstream rock melodic polish, notably on Hold On To Me, which could almost give rock ballads a good name, and single Mono.

It's at least half a good album.

The problem is, as with most controversialists, Courtney's only about a tenth as interesting as she thinks she is.

But in a world where stage school kids such as Avril Lavigne are marketed as "rock chicks", it's good to know the scary godmother of grunge can still cut it.

Updated: 09:02 Thursday, February 19, 2004