Frantic manages to touch upon virtually every musical style of
Bryan Ferry's career.
Ferry has proved to be as interested in covering other artists' material as penning original songs, and he straddles a smart mix of originals and covers here. Two brilliant
Bob Dylan songs appear among the opening tracks: "It's All Over Now Baby Blue" sees a return to the eclectic, energetic experimentation of
Ferry's early albums with
Roxy Music as a lush modern swirl of instruments mingles with the singer's stylized vocals and throwback harmonica; "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" completes the
Dylan pair, as
Ferry intones with confidence and again takes up harmonica over
Colin Good's rolling piano. The reverent
Leadbelly cover "Goodnight Irene" reimagines
Ferry as a kind of blues troubadour. "One Way Love" sees
the Drifters' song reworked as a squall of distorted guitars and keyboards. Almost half of
Frantic's songs originated from late-'90s sessions with
Eurythmics'
Dave Stewart, and
Stewart is given a co-writer credit for these songs. Though the
Stewart songs tend to favor edginess over songwriting, a few of them manage to break through the bombast. "Goddess of Love" is probably the best song about
Marilyn Monroe since
Kitchens of Distinction's "When in Heaven," and there's a passing musical resemblance to that great song. "Hiroshima" works like an ominous take on
Roxy Music's synth-heavy
Avalon period, with raging guitar dynamics contributed by
Radiohead's
Jonny Greenwood.
Roxy Music fans will find more reasons to rejoice with the superb album closer, "I Thought," which was co-written with
Brian Eno, who sings backing vocals and plays keyboards. Some listeners might suggest that an album this varied has an identity crisis, but with standout tracks as glorious as the
Dylan covers and the
Eno closer,
Frantic is a fascinating addition to
Bryan Ferry's accomplished discography. ~ Tim DiGravina