When Kevin Rowland recorded My Beauty, he was recovering from a period of addiction and recovery that took him out of the public eye for an extended time. As he put his life together, he signed a deal with Creation Records and readied a new album that those who fondly remembered Dexy's Midnight Runners surely hoped would be something rousing and Dexy-like. Surely, few people expected him to return with an album of cover songs that included such middle-of-the-road chestnuts as "The Greatest Love of All" and "You'll Never Walk Alone," mega hits from the '60s such as "Rag Doll" and "Daydream Believer," and more modern numbers like Squeeze's "Labelled with Love." Of that small number, probably even fewer expected that the arrangements would be schmaltzy enough that even elevator operators might find them a little too syrupy. What people daring enough to actually listen to the record soon discover is that Kevin Rowland makes any song his own just by showing up behind the mic and pouring his heart and soul out in his usual fashion. Against all odds, he uses the cheesiness of the horns, strings, and choruses of backing vocals to an advantage as he yelps, testifies, makes asides, and wrings every drop of inspiration out of the familiar melodies. He chose the songs because they gave him solace during extremely hard times, and he repays that favor by singing them like they truly are the most important songs on earth. In his hands, "Rag Doll" becomes an anthem of acceptance, "The Greatest Love of All" is the sound of someone crawling out of a deep, dark hole, "Reflections of My Life" is the soundtrack of survival, and "I Can't Tell the Bottom from the Top" details a bit of the torture of an unclear future with brutal honesty. It's easy listening music with an uneasy core, turned into a triumph by Rowland's unwavering commitment and the defiantly passionate approach he brings to the material. It's completely out of step with the Brit-pop times -- few guitars and the very opposite of laddishness -- but My Beauty lives up to its title and then some. It transmits the beauty of Kevin Rowland's soul, captures his idiosyncratic artistry, and lays his pulsing emotions bare. The record gained a quick reputation as a failure, but it's actually high art and just the kind of wild, unpredictable stroke of genius Rowland seemingly pulls off as easily as getting out of bed in the morning.
© Tim Sendra /TiVo