Had things worked out differently,
Wacko Magneto might have been
Ednaswap's commercial breakthrough; hard-edged and tough-minded, its smart combination of metal textures, punk intensity, and alt-rock melodicism seemed an ideal fit for modern rock radio circa 1997. Instead, the record went nowhere, becoming something of a curiosity only when singer
Natalie Imbruglia scored a smash hit with a feather-light pop rendition of the album's primal-scream centerpiece "Torn." Listeners expecting
Wacko Magneto to offer anything even remotely close to Imbruglia's smooth dance-pop approach are in for a rude awakening, however; vocalist Anne Previn owes much more to the gritty swagger of
Chrissie Hynde, while tracks like "Clown Show" and "Chordomatic" seethe with anger and energy. ~ Jason Ankeny