Search - Deborah Harry :: Necessary Evil

Two times Fantastic Necessary 'purchase'

blondeguy10 | South Africa | 04/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Deborah Harry is a Goddess, an icon, and a legend. This her first solo album in nearly 14 years ranks among some of her best work. If radio stations and dj's werent so 'ageist' Two Times Blue would be a massive hit, its good catchy rock/pop. Elsewhere Harry aims for a combination of styles from ballads, Hip Hop, and Soul. One can never fault Harry for being adventurous, and on Necessary Evil she never fails to impress, Charm Redux, and Naked Eye are both catchy and have choruses that stay in head long after you've heard them - in my opinion the signs of a good melody and song. Jen Jen is an interesting tribal chant but it would have been great to have heard a bit more of Harry's vocals upfront.

Necessary Evil is another achievement for a woman who already has many accomplishments to her name and a necessary addition for and lovers of good solid singing, songwriting and rock/pop. All hail the Goddess!"

A Deeply Satisfying Musical Experience

Rick | Sydney Australia | 06/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's no cosmic revelation that Nancy Sinatra and Deborah Harry broke the ground which Madonna has so successfully cultivated: intelligent off-center sorta-rock with a street-smart attitude, and an all-American rinky-dink voice in the guise of retro silver screen sirens. Which kinda makes Madonna iconic of not much except white-knuckled self-promotion and adherence to an already-established tradition. A marketing triumph of course, but if the subject is actually music then all spoils don't necessarily go to the victor.



With NECESSARY EVIL Deborah Harry articulates a musical vision which is more about sustained excellence than reinvention. She's not only at the top of her game here - she's at the top of everyone elses. As such, her latest album moves seamlessly and seductively around contemporary grooves anchored by deceptively unobtrusive lyrics and oblique ideas. Indeed Deborah's stock-in-trade, but here realized more cohesively than ever before as a solo artist. Or maybe we're just catching up with a girl who's usually been more musically relevant than her times because the new Deborah Harry album certainly stands alongside Blondie's finest moments, past and present.



NECESSARY EVIL is a very strong response to both vacant corporate pop and indie pretensions. The production is really superb inasmuch as it brings out the very best in Deborah Harry, and she has a lot to offer. Figure on mucho bang for your buck if you're looking for equal parts style and substance.



It's undoubtedly a classy piece of work with a lot of musical integrity, and should be listened to (and cherished) as an album. Not because there are no standout tracks, but just because it's a nice long buzz for the soul.



Five outta five cos it's too damned good for anything less."