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Jason Maloney reviews
Revolution of the Heart
d-Tox
- Year: 2005
- Price: £12.99
- Cat No.: DTOXCD14
- Rating: 8/10
In the mid-’80s, few emerging British acts were as successful and ubiquitous on both sides of the Atlantic as Howard Jones..
When his instant popularity waned on these shores in quite dramatic fashion (a fate which equally befell his closest peer Nik Kershaw), the Americans continued to keep faith in his brand of thoughtful pop. The ’90s saw Jones living and working in the US, playing to huge crowds over there yet utterly ignored in his homeland by all except a dwindling but loyal fanbase. Japan and Northern Europe also remained strongholds, with his 1996 release Angels & Lovers only available in the Far East.
Understandably, the UK has fallen down the pecking order of importance for Howard Jones. Revolution Of The Heart, his first new studio album since 1998’s People, will have been issued just about everywhere else in the world before it is released commercially in this country on October 10th. Having set up d-tox in 1996, primarily to serve as an output for his own material after parting company with WEA, Jones continues to be his own man.
Exclusive editions of CDs through the d-tox webstore have become something of a tradition; there are 1,000 numbered and signed copies of Revolution Of The Heart available online in very different packaging to the standard version available in shops (shown above). Such a move guarantees interest in a new record, and of course maintains a good relationship with fans.
Contrary to the impression given by his ill-advised attempt at putting himself back in the general public’s eye on ITV1’s wretched Hit Me Baby One More Time, Howard Jones is far from a washed-up nostalgia act. Indeed, for the first time in almost 20 years, a new Howard Jones album isn’t completely out of step with the UK’s musical climate. Much of Keane’s monstrously popular Hopes & Fears album drew from early Jones records such as Human’s Lib and Dream Into Action, while all things electronic and generally 80s finally became desirable again this year.
It’s as well that Revolution Of The Heart finds the Hojo sound at its most synth-oriented for more than a decade. Since 2001’s Peaceful Tour reintroduced cutting-edge technology into the mix, a full-on electronic album has been eagerly anticipated amongst the faithful. Now, after rather too many Live albums and Retrospectives that reworked and repackaged old material (some of merit and by design, others – such as this summer’s Ultimate Collection – an unfortunate legacy of Warner Brothers’ continuing ownership of his back-catalogue), that album is here.
Two of its finest moments – the title track, premiered on 2003’s Very Best Of collection but rejigged slightly for this album, and Just Look At You Now – have at various stages been given limited 12″ vinyl runs in the UK. Both deserve rather more exposure, especially the New Song-referencing Just Look At You Now; proof that Howard Jones can still craft a ridiculously addictive 3-minute pop song as good as anything he’s ever done before. The reluctance for full-scale UK singles is tempered by an emphasis on building up his profile within the Dance music fraternity; the recent collaboration with Mohito on Slip Away (wherein Jones provided new vocals for a snippet of 1984’s Like To Get To Know You Well) proved a firm club favourite if not quite a route back into the charts.
Taken at face value, this is an album of sufficient quality to do battle with the class of 2005. Opening track Celebrate Our Love recalls Faithless and Deep Dish, while the closing For You See Me is truly epic in its climax. Elsewhere traces of Kraftwerk and even Coldplay abound, although the results are still distinctively Hojo in execution.
The generic, guitar-heavy chorus of Respected is one of the album’s weak links, however, and I’ve Said Too Much also leans towards a similarly overblown style. Presence Of Other‘s lengthy ambient musings will probably only appeal to the diehards, but overall Revolution Of The Heart is an album worthy of winning new admirers as much as pleasing old ones.
Review copyright © Jason Maloney, 2005.
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Celebrate Our Love
2. Respected
3. Just Look at You Now
4. Revolution of the Heart
5. I’ve Said Too Much 6. Presence of Other
7. Black & White
8. Another Chance
9. Stir It Up
10. For You, See Me
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.