REVIEW: Eurythmics, Peace (Arista)
- Jon Steltenpohl
It's been a long time since we've seen anything from the Eurythmics as a complete band. Fans have had to do with Annie Lennox's lovely solo albums, Dave Stewart's Spiritual Cowboys, and a few rare glimpses of the two here and there for 10 years. This past year, Dave and Annie hooked back up, one thing led to another, and a tour, a social consciousness, and a new album were born. Peace is the tour name, the philosophy, and the album title, and Annie and David have put a big push behind Greenpeace and Amnesty International. (See http://www.peacetour.net for more info.)
Regardless of your views on those two activist groups, the album doesn't drip with activist views. Instead, there's more of a "perfect harmony" kind of feel to it which doesn't get involved in specifics. "I Saved the World Today" might seem pretentious or preachy from the title, but instead, it simply says "Hey, Hey \ I saved the world today \ Everybody's happy now \ the bad thing's gone away \ and everybody's happy now \ the good thing's come to stay \ please let it stay." The other tracks that take a similar attitude are equally as vague. Not that the album is all feel good and mellow. Tracks like "Power To the Meek" and "I Want It All" are driving and driven by Dave's guitar.
Between the mellow, the melodic, and the harder edged tracks, Peace sounds like the album true Eurythmics fans might expect. The lead single, "17," is unmistakably a Eurythmics song. Like most of their later work, the use of synthesizers is fairly sparse. The soul sound is also missing, but there are ballads like "My True Love" which fans of Annie Lennox's solo albums will enjoy. And, the upbeat tracks are guitar heavy and reminiscent of songs like "Would I Lie to You" and "I Need a Man."
Unfortunately, there isn't anything quite as powerful or as poignant as in the past. Peace has that slight hint of "reunion" lurking behind the scenes. The lyrics are good, but not as good as you remember. The music sounds pretty good, but doesn't quite have that atmosphere that you remember. And, unfortunately, Annie's voice seems to be losing a bit of its incredible charm and power. Even on the lead single in the US, "17," you can hear her straining a bit. Quite frankly, it's a shame. Even on their live performance on "Late Show with David Letterman," they looked a little tired and Annie was getting a lot of help from the backup singers.
Despite these failings, Peace still is a very enjoyable album. If you've liked a single from it, then you probably won't be disappointed. Fans of the band who have followed them from their early days in the Tourists through the various solo projects will find Peace is an indispensable part of their collection. It certainly isn't their worst album, and once you get used to the state of Annie's voice, it's actually quite enjoyable. After such a long wait, you always hope for perfection, and Peace is a slight letdown for fans with lofty expectations. However, it's a decent album and, for those who thought they'd never hear another Eurythmics album again, Peace is something to be thankful for.
