This is a great album! Bryan Ferry with his new album "FRANTIC", has regained the creative passion that initially made Roxy Music one of the most influential bands of the '70s. While much of his audience is probably over 40, I would guess much of this older fan base is very loyal, and probably considers itself fairly well educated musically. Once the word of mouth spreads, this album will have a solid chance to cross over to a more mainstream audience. Can we say Grammy award?

Bryan Ferry's early solo albums were often wonderful. He often drew on a mixture of top musicians and would also include some of his Roxy Music bandmates on certain tracks. He does that here and returns to some of his signature sounds and roots in "FRANTIC". Reminiscent in one respect, of his debut album of 1972, "THESE FOOLISH THINGS", he again uniquely covers a couple of great Dylan classics, "IT'S ALL OVER BABY BLUE" and "DON'T THINK TWICE, IT'S ALL RIGHT". There is much original new Ferry scored material here as well, including several strong up tempo songs co-written with Dave Stewart. One of which, an homage to Marilyn Monroe, "GODDESS OF LOVE" could become a hit single.

His collaborations here with various gifted muscians including orginal Roxy bandmates Brian Eno and Paul Thompson, the above mentioned Eurithmics co-founder Dave Stewart, guitar great Robin Trower and top session guitarist, Chris Spedding, not to mention recent Ferry touring musicians, pianist Colin Good, and bassist Zev Katz, make this a very solid affair.

When you think about it, Bryan Ferry has been one of the most prolific songwriter, bandleader, vocalists of the past 30 years. Roxy Music, of which Ferry wrote or co-wrote virtually everything, produced 8 original material albums, not including concert/greatist hits, and Ferry had 10 solo albums previous to this and not including collections, etc.

There is something for every Ferry fan here, a bit of every era of Bryan. The songs are varried in styles, that it is just a pure pleasure to experience. There are at least eight strong songs on this disk. It is one of Ferry's finest albums.

I have to admit - I really got started late on Bryan Ferry. I barely discovered Boys and Girls in the early '90's (though I had heard "Slave To Love" and "Don't Stop The Dance"), and my Roxy Music knowledge was very limited. It didn't take long after hearing Boys and Girls in its entirety that I was a Ferry devotee, and I soon explored the entire Ferry-RM catalogue. Siren and Avalon are masterpieces, and Boys and Girls remains my favorite work of his (I'm in my early 30's, so the 80's New Romantic sleek-and-stylish approach of Boys and Girls really grabbed me). Of course, "Is Your Love Strong Enough" remains my top Ferry tune. Anyway, we're talking about the new album, aren't we? Well, it's not as *cohesive* as Boys and Girls, as far as the overall sound goes, but the combination of varying musical styles works very well on this LP. At first, I thought that opening a 'new album' with a cover song seemed a bit strange, but "It's All Over" has such a strong opening, that I wouldn't have sequenced the album any other way. I will say that secretly, I was hoping to hear some sax on the album, but the harmonica parts are certainly a pleasant change (we don't need Boys and Girls 2 now, do we?!) The new single "Goddess Of Love" is a classic Ferry single. Sure, the hooks are nothing new, but the song is anything but recycled and stale. Naturally, the single, along with "Hiroshima" and "Cruel" is among my favorites on the album, reminding me of Avalon - Bete Noire-era material. I still have a tough time with some of BF's 70's solo material (too much of a 'Streets of San Francisco vibe going on there, and the tunes don't hold up as well). I know that a lot of diehard Ferry fans swear by The Bride Stripped Bare, but I was a child of the 1980's, so naturally my tastes fall more with the Avalon-Boys material. The follow-ups to Boys and Girls were good, but not great: Bete Noire has a couple of standout tracks, but is definitely not his most-inspired effort, and Mamouna has its moments, usually when the wah-wah guitars aren't too overbearing. Taxi and As Time Goes By are good covers albums, but the new release is one of the most satisfying CD's I've heard thus far in 2002. Highly recommended for fans of all of Ferry's albums. If you think about it, this album is almost a 'greatest hits' of Ferry's career, only represented by new covers and originals. Way to go, Bryan!

FRANTIC is almost an appropriate name for Bryan Ferry's most recent effort. I say "almost" because 'frantic' implies anxiousness and nervousness -- and Bryan Ferry could never be labeled either (he's far too meticulous and patient in his artistic determination). What FRANTIC displays, however, is a creator demonstrating his mastery over a variety of different styles. And this mastery is delivered with an organic energy that Bryan hasn't utilized since THE BRIDE STRIPPED BARE. Texturally, Bryan comes full circle with FRANTIC. Over the years Bryan has explored a very layered and controlled sound. AVALON was the apotheosis of this approach with Roxy Music, and MAMOUNA was clearly the ultimate distillation of that cosmically ethereal sound in Bryan's solo career (and MAMOUNA can never be topped -- it's just exquisite musical art). Bryan's next effort, AS TIME GOES BY took a 180-degree turn. Here was Bryan, stripped down to just his voice and traditional non-synthetic accompaniments, exploring staples from America's past. If anyone questions his talents as a crooner or the power of his voice, I simply refer them to his version of "Where or When" (it makes Sinatra's take on it seem like insincere drivel). Now Bryan turns it up a notch. Using the same organic approach, he fashioned a rock album in FRANTIC that explores Dylan, pop, funk, trip-hop, ballads, blues, and folk music -- and Bryan's foray into each territory is inspired. His voice has become smokier, but that familiar quiver -- symbolizing his yearning for the perfect, ideal love -- has matured into a curtain of passion that wraps itself around the listener. For me, "Hiroshima . . ." and "I Thought" are classics that triumphantly usher Ferry into the new century. The former is a hypnotic masterpiece that should have been released as a single to the trip-hop/Massive Attack crowd (it would have made Virgin Records billions had they been thinking). The latter is a brilliant, beautifully lyrical rumination on lost love; it begins with a funky Morricone-esque keyboard delivered by Brian Eno and escalates into a swirling mass of forlorn beauty. Forget Sting. Forgot Bono. Forget Josh Groban. Forget Peter Gabriel. Forget Andrea Bocelli. Forget Celine Dion. Forget Cher. There is only Bryan Ferry.

I seem to recall Bryan himself saying words to the effect that Mamouna had been stewing for so long it'd come out overcooked. I bought it, but bar a couple of promising tracks, I was never been hooked by it. I despaired that another old rocker seemed to be beginning the slide from the heights of fantastic artistry to...depths of mediocrity in his dotage. Then after an interminable wait during which I thought Bryan had given up and retired, out came As Time Goes By. The flame of hope rekindled! If only Bryan could take a corresponding magical formula and apply it carefully to some nice new original songs...

Well, along came Frantic. I approached the CD store with trepidation. However a few good reviews had propped up my courage, and I took Frantic home, sound unheard. A gamble, but what a payout! I can't stop playing this disc. As soon as I heard Track 1 I decided that Bob should have paid Bryan to sing all his songs, right from Day One. And Goddess Of Love could sit on a Bryan/Roxy Greatest Hits package right alongside Oh Yeah, Dance Away, More Than This, Avalon, etc.

I could keep the superlatives flowing all day. Suffice to say I'm hugely impressed with Bryan's success in making this album so eclectic yet so cohesive. Nearly 60? So what, the man has hip in spades, and the voice is still as lovely as ever. Yet another illustration of the fact that age should be completely irrelevant. This man should be in the Top 40 right now.

Once upon a time, albums like this and their spin-off singles used to litter the charts. Nowadays the music world seems to be on an endless downwards slide where artistry, musicianship, taste and quality are pushed aside in favour of appallingly mediocre talentless manufactured acts. Just as galling is the sight of once great artists desperately clinging to the last remnants of their bankability by appearing in charity concerts propping up/propped up by teeny boy and girl bands. Unfortunately, everything is reduced towards the lowest common denominator as the dollar takes over. But Bryan, I love you. You haven't sold out. Your integrity remains while you pursue your craft with dedication and class. What will I do when you're no longer around? Whose new records will I buy? Ronan Keating? Enrique? For God's sake.

Right from the beginning of the lead off track, a cover of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", you can tell Ferry is revitalized. It's difficult to pick any one track that doesn't belong on "Frantic", or a track that's weaker than the others. It's rare to find a cd with the quality that Ferry presents here. His choice to collaborate with Dave Stewart(Eurythmics) was a smart choice, and, oddly enough, so was the decision to have half the cd's songs written by other songwriters. "Frantic" ends up sounding fresh and vital, something that has been missing from Ferry's recent work. Perhaps it was the idea to incorporate acoustic guitar and push the synthesizers to the back that made "Frantic" a more immediate recording. Who knows? Ferry covers Bob Dylan very well on the tracks "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right". All The Dave Stewart/Bryan Ferry collaborations sound great as well. If I had to pick a weaker track it would be "Goodnight Irene" with its country flavor. I don't think that is Ferry's strength, but it makes for an interesting listen anyway. "Ja Nun Hons Pris" is like a short breather that separates the first half of the disc from the second--just like a great sorbet separates one course of a meal from the next. My favorite tracks include "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right", "Goddess Of Love", "Nobody Loves Me", "Hiroshima", and "One Way Love". Ferry fans will not be disappointed with "Frantic".