The life of a music critic has its ups and downs. Sometimes you’ve got to trudge through seemingly endless streams of dreck, but occasionally – just occasionally – you get to hear an album full of sexual innuendo from a woman nearly old enough to be one of the Golden Girls.
All joking aside, I must admit that The Curse of Blondie, the eighth album from veteran rockers Blondie, is most definitely in the running for their best release… ever. While the 1999 comeback No Exit suffered from a serious lack of polish, The Curse presents a solid, unified effort from the legendary band. Any doubts previously held about the group’s ability to hold it together will be dispelled by its best collection of tracks in a quarter-century.
Always one to keep the listeners on their toes, Debbie Harry once again throws in a stunning amount of musical variety, and this time most of her choices are well-advised. The 58-year-old frontwoman hasn’t let any of her musical skill atrophy, and neither have her cohorts. “Good Boys,” the album’s first single, wouldn’t feel the least bit out of place at the top of the charts.
I understand that some college-age listeners have a problem with bands whose members are older than their parents, and to them I say this: Chances are The Curse of Blondie is better than what you’re listening to right now, so why settle for less?
[Colin Marshall respects his elders. Shouldn’t you?]