Howie B - Turn The Dark Off
This is a release from the guy who helped U2 make POP into something that has been embraced by lovers of electronic music as well as mainstream rock audiences around the world. It's the album that just may have given adult oriented rockers a taste of forbidden fruit.
Armed with only a turntable and a Nord Lead (and lots of other stuff?) he has single handedly crafted an album that will be accessible to many, including newcomers to the genre who just want to find out more about U2's most recent collaborator.
They won't be disappointed.
A narrative on Take Your Partner By The Hand describes some dreamy inner city situation similar to the ramblings of the entrepreneur on Grace Jones' Slave To The Rhythm (also on Island Records) who subsequently jettisons her to stardom. Then there's Angels Go Bald: Too which has a delightful fluffy groove that NEVER gets soppy. It's like taking a bath in scented motor oil.
One of my favorites is Who's Got The Bacon which sounds like a sick and twisted version of a detective series soundtrack. It's the type of music that would be playing along in the background while tiny little cops and robbers chased each other around in Scalextric cars.
The album is full of wonderful moments, pieced together masterfully by Howie who obviously knows what he's doing even if he doesn't necessarily know how he's doing it. He's an electronic artist using all the many tools at his disposal to make his visions a reality.
Rating - 908,724 (out of a possible 1,000,000)
