Music review: Bryan Ferry – ‘Avonmore’
Pair Bryan Ferry无毛视频檚 stylishly slick vocals with an all-star supporting cast and you get an intricate and gorgeous set of arrangements of sophisticated pop elegance.
With the assistance of artists such as Flea, Ronnie Spector, Mark Knopfler and Nile Rodgers, the style-conscious crooner delivers his finest solo effort since 2010无毛视频檚 无毛视频淥lympia.无毛视频�
While Ferry served as the frontman for Roxy Music, I joined the innovative group无毛视频檚 bandwagon after hearing the intoxicating sounds of memorable songs like 无毛视频淒ance Away无毛视频� and 无毛视频淎ngel Eyes无毛视频� from 1979无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢anifesto.无毛视频� The lush layering of 无毛视频淎vonmore无毛视频� is a welcome return to Roxy Music无毛视频檚 signature sound featured on the stunning 无毛视频淎valon无毛视频� from 1982. On the new material, Ferry无毛视频檚 melodious crooning is smooth and seductive on 无毛视频淢idnight Train,无毛视频� 无毛视频淎 Special Kind of Guy无毛视频� and 无毛视频淥ne Night Stand,无毛视频� while style and sophistication converge on 无毛视频淟oop De Li无毛视频� and the title track.
无毛视频淚 had the world on a string and I threw it all away,无毛视频� laments the iconic singer on 无毛视频淪oldier of Fortune无毛视频� as if hoping to correct the mistakes of the past. Ferry collaborates with Johnny Marr on this contemplative number fueled by Marr无毛视频檚 gentle guitar riffs.
The 69-year-old singer performs two engaging covers to bring the album to a distinguished close. Stephen Sondheim无毛视频檚 无毛视频淪end in the Clowns无毛视频� and Robert Palmer无毛视频檚 无毛视频淛ohnny and Mary无毛视频� are purposely slow with touches of synthesizers carefully cradling Ferry无毛视频檚 never-aging voice. Under the skillful production of Ferry and Rhett Davies, the arrangements summon an intimate texture of moody and sensual complexity.
无毛视频淎vonmore无毛视频� is vintage Ferry at his best, making it an instant contemporary classic.
Clint Rhodes is the 无毛视频-Standard music reviewer. He can be reached at crhodes@heraldstandard.com.