San Francisco Chronicle - Sat 18th Dec

Thumbnail - Click for a larger version

by Aidin Vaziri

Let's get straight to the good stuff: "Olympia" features the first set of studio recordings by Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay and Brian Eno since the group's 1973 LP, "For Your Pleasure." Trying to pick out the songs where the quartet comes together, however, is nearly impossible without the help of the lengthy credits sheet. That seems to be the case with most of the 65-year-old British singer's star-studded new solo release, which also features collaborations with Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood  and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, among many others. "Olympia" sounds just like any other Ferry release from the past two decades - slick, seductive and reliably sedate. There is an odd techno streak that surfaces in songs such as "You Can Dance" and "Shameless," the latter incongruously produced by London dance music duo Groove Armada. But tunes such as "Heartache by Numbers," "Me Oh My" and a languid cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" are classic Ferry - sometimes to a fault. 

Previous Article | Next Article