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Editorial Reviews
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Those who only know Robert Palmer from the suave-suited MTV-drag days of "Addicted to Love" may have overlooked one of the era's truly remarkable voices. Inspired by his work on the Robert Johnson tribute album Hellhound On My Trail and Faye Dunaway's adaptation of Tennessee Williams's Yellow Bird, Palmer delivers up a full album of largely unreconstructed blues--and "Stella"'s dash of beloved reggae. And if the specter of English white boys singing the blues has become one of rock's most indelible--and often tiresome--cliches, Palmer's chameleonic, woefully underrated vocal abilities illuminate this collection of blues--standards, oddballs, and nouveau alike--the way DeNiro inhabited Travis Bickle. His "Hound Dog" is more Big Mama Thornton than Elvis Presley; the takes on ZZ Top's "TV Dinners" and Keb Mo's "Am I Wrong" are spare, swampy delta dirges; and "Crazy Cajun Cake Walk Band" and Little Willie John's "I Need Your Love So Bad" are rewarding, greasy-grooved workouts. This is a musical love affair as conducted by a man who seems to channel the blues rather than merely sing them--and one of the most surprisingly sound albums of Palmer's long career. --Jerry McCulley

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