REVIEW: Howard Jones, People (Ark 21)
- Paul Hanson
As an 80s child, I grew up with Jones' syrupy synthpop songs. "No One Is To Blame" always seemed to be on the radio, blasting through the speakers at the roller rink and even the local record stores. Then, magically, I grew up. Jones' dominance on the American Top 40 dried up like ice in the desert as words like "grunge" and "Seattle sound" took over. I didn't mourn Jones losing his status as a major player in the 80s pop scene - - I barely noticed his absense or the absense of bands like Culture Club and Human League, two other 80s bands that have released "new" releases.
So, on holding the 1998 release People from Howard Jones, I expected an 80s sounding disc, with fluffy vocals and silly synthesizers puncturing Jones' appealing voice. This is, though, definitely a 90s disc with sophisticated drum programming, outstanding background vocals and a scorching electric guitar on disc opener "You're the Buddah." The next track, "Tomorrow is Now" screams out "Top 40 comeback!" to programmers willing to give qualified songs a chance. "Everything" dips into a reggae groove while "If you love" - which gives me goosebumps - is the closest Jones gets to his "No One Is To Blame" vein.
What strikes me most about this disc is Jones' unpredictablility. My preconceived idea of "Wedding Song" was a full-blown drippy ballad. Jones takes the words of a could-be ballad and puts them into a mid-tempo track with success: "I need you to help me to find the strength to walk with me all through my life/ my lover, my husband, my wife/ Share this journey with me/ Write our story with me" are some of the great lyrics here.
This disc surprised me a great deal. I am equally surprised with how often I find it in my CD player while other discs find less air time.
