Once of the moderately missed Minny Pops and The Lotus Eaters, Stephen Emmer featured spoken-word interludes from Lou Reed and Richard Burton on one of his infrequent solo albums.
Here, the Amsterdammer has recruited producer Tony Visconti from the 70’s; Midge Ure and Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory from the 80’s; plus Furlined’s Neil Crossley and Cousteau’s Liam McKahey from the more recent past, to craft a crooner’s album, part-Walker Brothers, part Associates, all underpinned with the inevitable Bacharachian glide. It doesn’t always work; the vocalists are overly similar and there’s a dearth of the haunting melodies this music requires, but it sets a high watermark for lushness in 2014.
[John Aizlewood - Q Magazine - 24-06-14]
Preview, stream, download or buy International Blue on CD or Vinyl here.
