US+US+US+US+US

[Dirk KAstens <DKASTENS@dosuni1.rz.Uni-Osnabrueck.DE>]

Hi,

I spent a very gabrielized weekend with the brand-new US. I listened to
it five or six times and here are my impressions.
CAUTION:
Those of you who want to have a surprise shouldn't read further!

I bought US on Friday afternoon and took it to a friend where we both
listened to it for the first time. We were very excited after six years
(or three, if you count Passion as an official PG studio album). But to
our surprise the excitement disappeared from song to song and a kind of
disappointment grew up. We expected something very new and innovative,
but what we heard sounded quite familiar. And we found that there is no
musical concept behind the album (except for the lyrics). It's a
stylistic mixture of all his albums from PG1 to Passion with only a few
new influences (the rave-like rhythms like in DitD, for example).
But after the first disillusionment I listend to the album several times
(head-phones recommended) and each time I liked it better. Now I can say
that it's great. It's partly inapproachable but one can get addicted to
it.
Here comes a brief description of the songs:

Come talk to me - a copy of Biko, with bagpipes  :-(
Love to be loved - the highlight of US (IMHO), very melodic  8-)
Blood of Eden - the successor of Don't give up, with the difference that
                Sinead only does the backing vocals in the chorus
                (reminds me to Paul Simon). Another highlight  8-)
Steam - the soul/funk version of Quiet steam, a copy of Big time :-|
Only us - very inapproachable, like The family and the fishing net  :-)
Washing of the water - a gospel-like piano ballad, could be from PG1 :-)
Digging in the dirt - no comment  :-)
Fourteen black paintings - similar to We do what we're told  :-)
Kiss that frog - maybe the rockiest song he ever did, with distorted
                 guitar and organ and harmonica  :-|
Secret world - a floating song with a U2-like guitar  :-)

Dirk
(now waiting for the new Kate Bush and Happy Rhodes albums)
Has anybody heard the new Judie Tzuke album Wonderland? It's great! :)
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