PALMER with new RHYTHM
FredericWhite | Montreal,Canada | 09/26/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This CD went unoticed by critics and fans upon it's release in 1999. It's a shame for the late PALMER. His vocal performance was both matutre and controlled. The material on this project is sophisticated providing the late PALMER with a new platform to stage a quiet return to the music charts.If you collect CDs by gifted male singers, then I suggest that you try this one."
R&B Flavored Pop w/ Soulful Vocals
Thomas Leonard | Pittsburgh PA | 11/09/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Critics and fans were torn on this 1999 Robert Palmer album. Some loved it, some hated it, alternately praising the smooth soulful vocals or complaining the heavy keyboard laiden arrangements or the lack of traditional "Palmer style" hard rock. Here, the singer tackles modern sounding pop music with a strong R&B slant arrangement wise. There a few uptempo numbers, particulalry "You're Not The Only One", and songs like the single "Stone Cold" have slower but still scorching dance sound to them. "True Love", the first single, is a definate soul pop ballad that vocally plays into all of Palmer's strengths as a blue eyed soul singer. "Paradise" is easily the most romantic song on the set, and one of the most romantic songs in the singer's catalogue. Uptempo dominates the set however as ballads sit in the minority. "Mr Wise Guy" is another solid soul flavored effort, and Palmer hits all the right notes with a surprisingly good rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On". There are no hard rock numbers and no world music numbers, trademarks of Palmer's earlier albums. Still, this album excells at showing Robert Palmer could not only sing, but compose and produce songs with a definate fresh soul pop feel to them. "True Love" and "Stone Cold" are clearly the highlights but the album has few misses, even it lacks many home runs. You wont have to be a die hard Robert Palmer fan to enjoy this album."
Not true R&B, but not Pop either
crazylad | los angeles, CA USA | 05/08/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"First off, this is not true R&B by any stretch by the imagination but rather true 'blue eye soul' which isn't bad. I too stumbled upon this CD at a store and decided to take a chance and bought it. I was very surprised at how good this CD is. Robert really searched deep inside and pulled out some of his best vocal work in years. While other reviewers felt this album was soulless I say it was the quite the opposite. On such songs as 'Stone Cold', Wise guy, I Choose You, and the title track screams of sensuality that is especially true of Marvin Gaye's 'Let's get it on'. It's a shame that this CD didn't get the radio play it deserved. But his tour '99 to support it was the coolest!"