Trevor Horn - Echoes: Ancient & Modern (2023)

European import

For 21 years, I lived in a small town on the Texas Gulf Coast. The city is home to a Tex-Mex place that has been around for decades and still going strong. Even though it is in a low-traffic location and does no advertising, that restaurant is the go-to place for many people in that town who rave about the food. I ate there several times over the years (a small town usually has few options for eating out) and never found the food or the service particularly good. My wife would mention the place and my usual response was that it was a B.Y.O.F. joint - bring your own flavor. It was bland, stale food and I just didn't understand others' attraction to the place other than family loyalty, tradition, and path dependence. And speaking of bland...

Overall, I'm a big fan of Trevor Horn's work (Buggles, Yes, ABC, Art of Noise, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Seal, etc.). Before this Echoes album was released, I somehow came across track 2 in which we have Seal covering Joe Jackson's Steppin' Out, a subtle, bossa-influenced take on one of my favorites songs from the '80s. I loved that particular cover tune, checked out the album's track list, saw several great '80s tunes on it, then immediately pre-ordered the CD. I gave the thing a chance, but the rest of the album doesn't even come close to Seal's contribution. When asked about it by fellow music lovers, my response was "One trick pony, unfortunately: take a song, make it slow and moody, add guest vocalist."

Here's some random online reviews I've across:

• Slant: "At best the results are bland, and at worst they exemplify Gen-X nostalgia at its most saccharine."
• Louder (★★★½): "exquisitely crafted covers delivered with elan, painstakingly produced with plenty of heart."
• The Arts Desk: "Downtempo cover versions run the gamut from the bland to the excruciating"
• iNews (★★): "a covers album that never really justifies its existence."
• Moving the River: "rather joyless pop"

Not terrible, it's just disappointing. And a damn shame.

Peak on the US Billboard 200 chart: Not released in US

Tracks:

My personal ranking of these cover versions:

1. Steppin' Out
2. Owner Of A Lonely Heart
3. White Wedding
4. Avalon
5. Personal Jesus
6. Swimming Pools (Drank)
7. Slave To The Rhythm
8. Love Is A Battlefield
9. Relax
10. Drive
11. Smells Like Teen Spirit

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None