New album: Paula
Artist: Robin Thicke
Label: Interscope
Rating: 1 star out of 5
Right off the bat, anyone who can explain the decision to apply the Jimi Hendrix/Band of Gypsys artwork to a Robin Thick album cover please contact me via the email address below.
Whether you give two grits about Robin Thicke’s marital status, whoever runs things has decided that you’re going to know about it whether you want to or not. Apparently he was married to a beautiful woman named Paula, and by some of his own doing messed up the marriage. This is all as sad as a bucket of broken pixie hearts, but it doesn’t change the fact that his new album is a pointless, muddled affair.
At least on his previous album Thicke and his team of co-writers ended up (allegedly) borrowing heavily from a pretty good Marvin Gaye song, which resulted in one listenable tune. No such luck on “Paula,” as it’s full of nauseating baby-please-take-me back-isms and other auditory drivel.
Maybe it was impossible for Thicke to properly focus while his marriage was busting up. Then again, this whole split with the missus whoopty-doo might be a giant publicity stunt. Either way, this album is destined to replace Guns ‘N’ Roses’ “Chinese Democracy” as the best selling CD at a Dollar Store near you.
Classic album: The Bravest Man In The Universe
Artist: Bobby Womack
Label: XL
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
(Originally published July 19, 2012)
Over his five-decade career Bobby Womack has racked up many R&B hits as a solo artist and contributed to recordings by the likes of The Rolling Stones and Gorillaz. His new album “The Bravest Man In The Universe” touches on all of his known strengths and turns over a few new ones.
Produced by Gorillaz main man Damon Albarn, “The Bravest Man In The Universe” isn’t the work of a soul legend rummaging through his back pages, nor is it an embarrasing attempt by a veteran to compete with the current flavors of the week. Womack’s one of the last original soul singer’s standing, and juding by these new songs his muse is still in tact.
Anyone expecting the straight-up soul backing of previous efforts such as “Across 110th St.” or “Back To My Roots” may be shocked by the modern beats and production on “Bravest Man”. If you’ve ever wondered what Radiohead would sound like after eating soul food for about a month, the music on “Bravest Man” would probably be the result. On “Jubilee” Womack seems to be singing along to a busted video game, but for whatever reason the results are sublime.
The only nod to Womack’s previous work is a short acoustic rendition of “Deep River”, which placed in the middle of these quirky soul tunes gives it an added resonance. The following track “Dayglo Reflection” begins with a solitary piano figurue that eventually creeps back into Gorillaz territory with a Sam Cooke reference for good measure. Womack’s weathered vocal on “Nothin’ Can Save Ya” — as with all of his vocals on this collection — are up close, personal, and untreated by any studio trickery of any kind. A pure voice going straight to record sounds almost jolting in 2012.
In the end, “The Bravest Man In The Universe” is the modern work of an old soul. Womack is doing what he’s always done while Albarn creates a sonic palette that places things firmly in the present. If the old folks are willing to try something new and the kids aren’t too cool for school, “The Bravest Man In The Universe” could be the don’t-call-it’a-comeback album of the year.
Jon Dawson’s album reviews appear every Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092 or jon.dawson@kinston.com.