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Often written-off by critics and forgotten by trendy genres, Joe Jackson is at his best when doing slick pop music. Jackson came onto the scene in 1979 with Look Sharp a polished, but far from conventional pop album. A former student of London’s Royal Academy of Music, Jackson has dabbled in jazz, swing, classical, as well as popular music styles. Basically Jackson does whatever suites his fancy while retaining a loyal fan base and managing to tour extensively. Obvious Song starts the album; recorded in 1991 during the first Bush years this blatantly liberal song would probably cause an uproar today. This song and the next, GOIN’ DOWNTOWN, stray a bit from the overall theme of the record, but a nice tunes nonetheless. Stranger Than Fiction is a frank reflection on the infant stages of love, when things are just starting to get interesting and amusing. Oh Well is an updated cover of the of the Peter Green, of Fleetwood Mac, tune. This Jackson version adds some extra depth with congas, and an extra deep bass. This is one song on this album that has probably gotten the most radio airplay, since of course, radio always brings us what we have heard a million times before. Jamie is one of the albums best songs. Jackson’s words blend along with some great piano playing to give an upbeat, danceable love song. It's All Too Much is an ode to modern day life. This song was great at the time the album was released, but in the runaround lifestyles ten years after this album’s release things have just gotten more hectic. When Your'e Not Around moves further into the lifecycle of a relationship, can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em . Even further into love is the time of resolution, a time when it’s on one moment and off another, The Other Me describes this stage perfectly. A little further along in our narrator’s adventure comes the commitment and final stages of the relationship. My House is a deep look into the psyche of the married man. The theme is would be perfect as a theme to HBO’s show, or maybe as a backdrop to Six Feet Under’s Nate Fisher. Once again Jackson makes great use of the conga, piano, and full orchestra sounds. Drowning is, alas, the final stage of at least fifty percent of modern romance; the breakup. This song could be horribly depressing and sappy were it not for Jackson’s skillful piano playing and vocals. I know I make this album seem like something you wouldn’t want to listen to, but, just the opposite. Instead of getting lost in all the sorrow it manages to see the humor. Joe Jackson manages to blend several styles of music together in a sophisticated manner, while still keeping the tempo upbeat and mainstream. LAUGHTER & LUST is a testament to love in a modern age, that sooner or later makes sad clowns of us all. --The Dude |
Regressive Music Review