Pop stars never tread on more dangerous turf than when they mount the soapbox of their popularity to assuage their own regrets about fame, express some burning personal issue, or, worse, take a political stand. What are folksingers for, anyway? This 1994 album by Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, one of the most successful pop icon-sex symbols of the '70s and early '80s, was a Top 10 hit in her homeland, but has long been considered a "lost" album by Newton-John's American fans; this marks its Stateside debut. Inspired by the cruel, dueling fates of her father's death and being diagnosed with breast cancer at virtually the same moment, Newton-John claims this self-penned and self-produced album, which ranges across topics from romance to the environment ("Gaia" represents the Spirit of Mother Earth), represents the "first time" she's expressed her true feelings--which may come as a shock to admirers of "I Honestly Love You." Perhaps ironically, the breathy, fragile voice of her pop prime convincingly wraps itself around these confessionals with determination and occasional muscle. Rife with melodic echoes from her easy-listening country past ("No Other Love," "Why Me," "I Never Knew Love"), Gaia is variously infused with mildly exotic touches, from the metaphysical "Pegasus," South American-flavored "Not Gonna Give In to It," and Hindi undercurrents in "The Way of Love" to the rainforest ambience of "Ruin" and the title track. Fans and casual listeners alike will find the album more than just a reassuring return to form; it's a bold and often surprising attempt to recast her pop legacy. --Jerry McCulley