Frantic - Bryan Ferry > Reviews > Smooth grooves from the god of love

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money

Advantages:	Velvety vocals, pristine production
Disadvantages:	Mix of covers and originals doesn't quite come off

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Smooth, full-bodied and sophisticated. Enjoy it on your own or with friends. The exquisite taste of... Bryan Ferry.

Yes, the old lounge lizard is back with Frantic - his eleventh solo album. And the title is surely ironic: Bryan Ferry could be called many things but frantic isn't one of them. That said, this album gets off to a pretty sparky start. He's on familiar territory, covering a Bob Dylan song - 'It's all Over Now, Baby Blue'. It's something he does with aplomb - he produced the definitive version of Bob's A Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall in 1973. This version is nearly as good: driven by a string quartet and Dylanesque harmonica, with Ferry putting in the emotion that Dylan's voice sometimes misses. This is one of a pair of Dylan covers. 'Don't Think Twice, It's Alright' gets a low-key treatment on the album, with Ferry's quavering rendition backed only by piano and harmonica.

This is a hybrid Ferry record: almost evenly split between Ferry originals (some of which are collaborations with Eurythmic Dave Stewart), and cover versions. He's well known and respected for his covers albums - 1999’s ‘As Time Goes By’ was devoted to his versions of the standards of the classic strand of popular music of which you could say Ferry is the greatest modern practitioner. The originals - mainly co-written - are in the established Ferry solo vein familiar from albums like 'Boys and Girls' and 'Mamouna'.

'Cruel', a Dave Stewart co-production, is typically multi-layered, with guitar contributions from longtime sideman Chris Spedding. The song tells the classic Ferry tale of love-lorn outsiders, While Ferry despairs at the cruelty of love: "Nobody Know the trouble I see/Nobody cares, nobody but me". Love and its embodiments provide the staple fare for Ferry's compositions on Frantic. 'Goddess of Love' is something you almost think you've heard him sing before. Apparently addressed to Marilyn Monroe, it features Bryan again claiming "Nobody cares like I do" against a Roxy disco-era soundtrack which teams him up once more with his onetime estranged bandmate Brian Eno and former Roxy drummer Paul Thompson.

Love, being as we all know, Bryan's drug of choice, comes in for some pretty close analysis on this disc. He's a 'Fool for Love' on Frantic's highlight track. This brilliantly segues from a medieval soprano rendition of a Richard Coeur de Lion (I kid you not!) lyric complete with crumhorn, into a classic tremulous vocal telling the old, old tale of lost romance against the usual silky production.

This is followed, bravely, by a Ferry-isation of the old Leadbelly song 'Goodnight Irene'. With a cajun-style fiddle and accordion backing, it's like a shot of bootleg hooch after the Bailey's Irish Cream of the rest of the album. Then it's back to a chillingly dramatic 'Hiroshima' complete with all-star musical cast including Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, guitarist Robin Trower, bassist Marcus Miller and Brian Eno.

Ferry's renowned musical perfectionism is evident on this track, and on most of the album. He risks producing things to death, but on the whole he gets the desired effect - just as well really considering the time and money that go into every Ferry album. Some would say Ferry's no longer relevant; that other 70s survivors like Bowie are more vital. I'd disagree. Ferry does what he does impeccably well. He's still trying new things. Dismiss him as some kind of tuxedo-ed dinosaur and you ignore the fact that no-one does quite what he does: to make polished, atmospheric gems of world weary romanticism.

That said, I think the mix of covers and originals on Frantic doesn't quite come off. If anything the album is too varied. His covers albums and his original collections are very different and probably appeal to distinct sets of listeners. He's takes quite a risk in trying to meld the more idiosyncratic materials with his own trademark slinky groove. In the end he doesn't quite pull it off well enough to produce a perfect album.