Boy George Ordinary Alien - The Kinky Roland Files
Seeing how ordinary is a word least associated
withBoy George, the title of his new album (his
first artist album in almost ten years!) is all the more
intriguing.
It is, however, also titled 'The Kinky Roland Files', for the
album offers a collection of 13 electro/dance tracks that are the
result of a friendship and musical collaboration that has spanned
over fifteen years. Boy George
and Kinky Roland (who has been producing top
hits and remixes with some of the biggest names in Dance Music)
have made the most of this friendship here and produced the entire
album.
The tracks (mainly written by Mr. Karma Chameleon himself) are a
mix of energetic dance beats with the occasional dash of ambient
Latin as well as Jamaica-style rhythms thrown in. Some have been
released before and simply given a different makeover on the
current album. There is nothing too hardcore about any of the songs
and while each invite to dance - either with friends or on your own
- they equally can be enjoyed while trying on different outfits
before heading off to club land. It simply will get you into the
mood for more. An additional 3 tracks ('Time Machine', 'Psychology
Of The Dreamer' and 'Sanitized') are available only via iTunes and
are not included on the album.
Opener 'Turn 2 Dust' is a mix of mellow beats combined with some
reggae dub and a real catchy chorus that highlights Boy's
incredible voice. 'Yes We Can' (check out the brilliant video on
YouTube) boasts President Obama's well-known phrase "Yes
we can make it to the promised land…" and already came out
during the 2008 elections, albeit in a slightly different
version.
The same goes for 'Amazing Grace' - one of the album's most
beautiful tracks and featuring the voice talents of Portuguese folk
singer Ana Laîns who infuses some ambient
sounds.
A mixed blessing (and you can take 'mixed' which ever way you want
here) is 'Go Your Own Way'. While it is bold and admirable to
choose a Fleetwood Mac classic for
re-working, the result is, well, a mixed blessing! It somewhat
lacks soul and is suffocated by a thumping and repetitive beat.
More successful is 'Human Racing', which uses instrumental elements
of Deep Purple's 'Smoke On The Water' to
great effect in Kinky Roland's blender.
Things get heavier with 'Here Come The Girls - feat Ave D' - an
energy driven track that is an odd yet captivating mix combining
female and male vocals with some German lyrics thrown in for good
measure. It should go down especially well on the Berlin club
circuit.
Other standout tracks are the witty and cynical 'Kill The A&R'
with its stab at record labels' A&R divisions. One wonders
whether there is a personal message in there somewhere. Whatever
the message, this is a truly infectious track with a great beat to
groove to.
Closing track 'Look Pon U' is a spicy brew of Jamaican dance hall
and electro that is dominated by a powerful sounding female voice
and what seems to be Jamaican-English slang. Perhaps Boy George
took some time out to relax on a beach, as it is difficult to hear
his distinctive voice ring through on this one.
Following a non-stop, sell-out European tour with 'Night Of the
Proms' in 2010 (where George performed to over 15,000 fans a
night); a new album out, and with a world-tour planned for 2012
that sees Culture Club reunited to celebrate
the group's 30th Anniversary, one of the world's true pop icons is
officially back on the mainstream music's radar. And he is here to
stay.
