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Rating:
Before now, I had never listened to anything by Jimmy Somerville: Bronsky Beat, Communards, previous solo albums before this one, ideas of potential listens left in an undefined limbo for one reason or another. I know, broadly speaking, and admire the character, the musician has remained for years and years a "casual" acquaintance, overshadowed by many (perhaps too many?) others. The release of this new album refreshed my memory and after all, approaching “dated” artists with recent albums has become a well-established practice of mine, which has given me many satisfactions, including this one. The title and the cover, very beautiful, tell pretty much everything you need to know, it is indeed a tribute, and as a representative image we have a Prometheus (with the features of Emperor Hadrian, could it be?) who doesn’t hold up the sky but a strobe. Very clear, right?
"Homage" is totally, deliberately anachronistic: not vintage, not inspired by that particular period, just identical, exactly as disco music was in its golden years, without any concession to "modernity"; it could have been presented to me as an album released in 1977/1978 and I wouldn’t have noticed the difference at all. Releasing an album like this in 2015 is certainly a choice of identity, and also completely detached from the logic of fashions and the market; in its way courageous, I like it. Looking closely, I like practically everything about "Homage": not to levels of adoration, but I consider it a well-executed operation in every aspect. That unmistakable falsetto singing, which for as little (very little) as I had heard before left me somewhat bewildered, is undoubtedly one of the strengths of the album and of Jimmy Somerville himself, it sounds incisive, credible, never redundant, expresses a marked personality; the lyrics are also very interesting and meaningful, after the militant activism of the '80s here you can feel an air of fun and lightness, never in an artificial or forced way but with great maturity and naturalness. The songs? Very easy to imagine: funky rhythms, forefront bass lines, female choirs, brass and orchestrations, especially "Strong Enough", which synthesizes 100% of the spirit and attitude of the album, then "Some Wonder", "Freak", "Lights Are Shining", then some equally brilliant and stylish midtempos like "This Hand", "Back To Me" and "The Core"; finally, a luminous and dreamy "Learned To Talk", the only ballad of the album, strategically placed at the end.
Net of some inevitable redundancy, "Homage" is a solid, inspired, especially sincere album, a heartfelt tribute and perhaps a nostalgia operation for Jimmy Somerville first and foremost, it gives me just this idea, that of an album made primarily for one's own pleasure and fun, and I approve, oh, if I approve! Clearly, you have to appreciate this type of music, otherwise listening to it is pointless, it is not an album that seeks new horizons and stylistic contaminations, nor new fans, it is indeed a tribute, nothing more, nothing less, moreover very well executed; this "spirit," however, can easily be enjoyed by everyone, without distinction.
"Homage" is totally, deliberately anachronistic: not vintage, not inspired by that particular period, just identical, exactly as disco music was in its golden years, without any concession to "modernity"; it could have been presented to me as an album released in 1977/1978 and I wouldn’t have noticed the difference at all. Releasing an album like this in 2015 is certainly a choice of identity, and also completely detached from the logic of fashions and the market; in its way courageous, I like it. Looking closely, I like practically everything about "Homage": not to levels of adoration, but I consider it a well-executed operation in every aspect. That unmistakable falsetto singing, which for as little (very little) as I had heard before left me somewhat bewildered, is undoubtedly one of the strengths of the album and of Jimmy Somerville himself, it sounds incisive, credible, never redundant, expresses a marked personality; the lyrics are also very interesting and meaningful, after the militant activism of the '80s here you can feel an air of fun and lightness, never in an artificial or forced way but with great maturity and naturalness. The songs? Very easy to imagine: funky rhythms, forefront bass lines, female choirs, brass and orchestrations, especially "Strong Enough", which synthesizes 100% of the spirit and attitude of the album, then "Some Wonder", "Freak", "Lights Are Shining", then some equally brilliant and stylish midtempos like "This Hand", "Back To Me" and "The Core"; finally, a luminous and dreamy "Learned To Talk", the only ballad of the album, strategically placed at the end.
Net of some inevitable redundancy, "Homage" is a solid, inspired, especially sincere album, a heartfelt tribute and perhaps a nostalgia operation for Jimmy Somerville first and foremost, it gives me just this idea, that of an album made primarily for one's own pleasure and fun, and I approve, oh, if I approve! Clearly, you have to appreciate this type of music, otherwise listening to it is pointless, it is not an album that seeks new horizons and stylistic contaminations, nor new fans, it is indeed a tribute, nothing more, nothing less, moreover very well executed; this "spirit," however, can easily be enjoyed by everyone, without distinction.
Tracklist and Videos
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