Genius. That’s what this is. Blondie’s latest release, celebrating their 40th anniversary, is actually a two-disc double-hitter comprised of the new album Ghosts of Download and a greatest hits re-release Deluxe Redux
Debbie Harry’s at her growling, sexy and menacing best on this collection and it’s proper pop/rock/punk. Ghosts Of Download, the band’s tenth studio album, is a different beast. The single, A Rose By Any Other Name, a Beth Ditto duet, was released last year. However, it’s been worth the wait.
The album is a dancefloor-driven collection of tracks that fuses Latin, reggaeton, ska and electronica with Harry’s unmistakable voice. With the albums side-by-side, you can see how things have evolved. The band was always fascinated with Latin/bossa nova beats and you can hear the musical shadow of The Time Is High on tracks like I Screwed Up and Sugar on the Side.
The timbre of Harry’s voice has changed a lot, but like with, say Leonard Cohen, this is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s morphed into something new again and has to be appreciated in and of its own right. Just like the band and just like the new album.
BY MEG CRAWFORD
Best Track: From Ghosts of Download – I Want To Drag You Around and from Deluxe Redux – Rapture
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Cherrybomb THE RUNAWAYS
In A Word: Blondie (enough said)
