He arrived in our imaginations a posturing glam-punk hybrid, high on amphetamines and squeezed into a pair of leopard skin trousers – and that’s kind of where he stays.
The misty-eyed affection for Marc Bolan and John Lennon are patently still there in heaps, not least in the glittery kick-beats of unruly album opener, ‘Wannamama’, the faux electric orchestra of ‘You Don’t Gonna Run’ and the shameless sugar melt of ‘Semi-Babe’ and ‘Fountain of Lies’ but replacing the bluesy, rock buoyancy of Levi’s previous album, ‘The Return To Form Black Magick Party’ is a funky r&b bent that’s been clearly derived from Pop pouring over Prince’s mid-eighties output. And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then frothy electro-work outs like ‘Everything and Finally’ are well and truly sweet-talked.
Recorded in Hollywood at Quincy Jones’ Westlake studio, where both ‘Thriller’ and ‘Off The Wall’ were recorded, ‘Never Never Love’ perfects the avant-pop craft of its sexy yet patchy predecessor. Lyrically it’s still little more than an ad-hoc assortment of teenage dreams and exclamations meted out with all the profundity of a bag of candyfloss but isn’t that what ‘pop’ is all about?
Stars in his eyes, a song in his heart and and an armadillo down his trousers. And long may it remain that way.
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