When Roxy Music split in 1983, Bryan Ferry made the decision to go forward with the style of music they had so perfected with the landmark "Avalon" album in 1982. First, he did "Boys and Girls," in 1985, which was decent, but I find it to be too slow and tranquil at times. In 1987, he got it entirely right with this album.
Sure there are slower moments, but there are some terrific upbeat, dance moments here. What makes this album work is its diversity. Bryan and company toy with various clubby dance rhythms on tracks like Limbo, Kiss and Tell, and the Right Stuff; they slow things down considerably with the epic and powerful "Name of the Game," and even close the entire album out with the title track, a fun and clever tango.
Also worth mentioning here is Ferry's terrific lyrics. THough a musician and singer of the highest regard, his lyrics have never been as deep and clever as many of his contemporaries. That is not the case here. "Bete Noire" is filled with some of Ferry's finest wordplay.
Though it's 15 years old now, this album still sounds fresh and vibrant. It reflects Bryan Ferry at what was somewhat of a creative peak in the 80's.

I am still listening to this album more than 15 years after I first heard it. This album, and Avalon, are the best albums in the Ferry/Roxy Music canon. Unlike other Ferry/Roxy Music albums which have consisted of maybe one or two mind-blowingly great songs along with 8-9 mediocre ones, this album is consistent. It has great uptempo songs such as "Kiss and Tell" and "Seven Deadly Sins" "Day for Night" and "Limbo", and very good slow melodies such as "The Name of the Game" and the hauting "Zamba".

There is obviously some sort of cinema/film theme at work in this album - cinematic references are peppered throughout. "Seven Deadly Sins", "The Right Stuff", and "Day For Night" are all film titles. The refrain in "The Right Stuff" references "The Chimes at Midnight", a 1965 Orson Welles film. "Kiss and Tell" was the theme to the 1988 film "Bright Lights, Big City". Finally, the album title suggests film noir. I confess I have no idea what the point of the cinematic references may be, but they serve as an interesting footnote to what should be considered a classic album.

Following the international acclaim of his prior solo release "Boys and Girls," Bryan Ferry teams up with producer Patrick Leonard (Madonna) for "Bete Noire," an album that's just as suave and stylish as its predecessor. It spawned his biggest American smash: a single remix of "Kiss and Tell" (from the "Bright Lights Big City" soundtrack), but the original version that surfaces here is superior in all its pristine glory: funked-up guitars, popping bass, and Ferry's trademark moan. Also effective are the upbeat "Limbo," "Day for Night," and "The Right Stuff," which was cowritten by Johnny Marr. (Trivia: the music to "The Right Stuff" was originally an instrumental "Money Changes Everything" performed by Marr's former band, the Smiths). The rest of the album is honey-smooth, sophisticated pop that nicely compliments Ferry's distinguished voice. A rare gem of the late 1980s, "Bete Noire" gets an A- in my school of music.

Boys and Girls gets rave reviews, but Bete Noire is Brian's best album. B and G is a bit too sentimental. Bete is a bittersweet album that goes down just right. I have spent endless hours listening to Bete and it never gets tiresome. If you only want one Brian Ferry album, this is the one to get!

Let's see here what are my all time favorite CDs? Janet Jacksons Rhtyhm Nation 1814, Madonnas Erotica, U2s Achtung Baby, Enyas Watermark, or Phil Collins But Seriously CD? Nope! That honor goes to Bryan Ferry's Bete Noire record.

I call this the album of my lifetime.

This CD gets more spins in my CD player than any other CD I own. I was too young to experience this album back when it came out in 1987 but I started first listening to it in 1992 when I asked my mom what song was playing and she said it was Bryan Ferry's "Limbo". Ever since then I could not take this CD out of my CD player.

Bryan Feryy mostly incorporates others sounds to create his own and here it worked perfectly. He even throws in some African drums in some songs for an even better musical treat. The music is a mix of jazz, pop, rock and some world music. Every song on here is polished to perfection. The haunting, enigmatic New Town, and the dynamite Day For Night are among some of the finest songs Ferry has ever recorded. Zamba is a very quiet, mournful song. The rest of this album is amazing as well. The title track brings up images of going out on a romantic evening in Paris France. In fact every song is like a story being told in melody. This album was new in 1987, was still fresh in the 1990s, and is an absolute classic in the 2000s. I love this album now more than ever. I put this record the best CD of the twentieth century. Let's hope it keeps it's reign as the best CD in the twenty-first century. Bryan Ferry unfortunately could not put out anything nearly this good afterwards. Even the five star follow-up Taxi comes nowhere close to Bete Noire. I,m not just recommending this CD, what I,m saying is that you must own this recording.