Thought I' d share my first impressions of Ferry's new solo album...
Olympia is quintessential Bryan Ferry – from the clean, classy design and typography to the Roxy-esque photographs of Kate Moss. It certainly feels like a high quality product, the CD and DVD housed in a hardbacked book format with good printing, on thick, glossy paper for the inner pages.
The mood of Olympia is sombre and reflective; Ferry sings with a lovelorn, melancholic tone, his vocals older and huskier. Echoes of Avalon and Boys and Girls drift through the music, and lyrically there are countless of references to the past, almost as if Ferry is looking back over his long career and repertoire of songs made up of film noire and tragic love stories.
The album gets of to a stirring start with "You Can Dance"; a song takes you straight back into the late night European imagery of albums such as Mamouna or Bête Noire. "Alphaville" is another immediate highlight; typically Ferry through and through. "Oh Me Oh My", is an instant hit, and leaves the lyric "I wish I could stay, but I'm just passing through" resonating in your mind. "Shameless", is perhaps the album's most catchy track, with a classic Ferry groove and addictive melody. The quiver in Ferry's fragile vocal sets the song alight with emotion, as he croons from the shadows of a lifetime of rock 'n' roll. "Reason or Rhyme" stands out at one of the best tracks Ferry has ever produced, with a gorgeous melody, haunting lyrics and an ambience to completely lose yourself in.
Atmosphere and mood are key elements on any Bryan Ferry album, and combined with superb musicianship, there is no exception to that rule on Olympia. The list of guest musicians is quite incredible, although there are times when it sounds like they're all playing at the same time, and Ferry is lost in the crowd; his voice drowned out and indecipherable. The production work is impeccable, although perhaps sometimes over-produced, leaving you wanting to go into the mix and bring out the vocals.
Olympia is arguably Bryan Ferry's finest work since 1994's Mamouna, although for me, that album was his master work, setting an exceptionally high standard, so it's certainly pleasing that Olympia comes pretty close.
