Curse of Blondie
Blondie’s second post-reunion album rivals their eclectic string of ’70s and ’80s hits for daring.The Curse of Blondieopens with Debbie Harry declaiming like a cross between Detroit’sEminemand Jersey’sPatti Smithand closes with "Desire Brings Me Back" and "Songs of Love," two left turns that recall her occasional turns as an art-song chanteuse with the likes of theJazz Passengers. As those suggest, little here sounds like nostalgia. Sure, some tracks recall Blondie’s Eurodisco classics, but the blend of machine-tooled grooves and layered guitars on "Good Boys" would make youngsters likeBasement Jaxxproud. And other echoes of the vintage sound are given similar new life; for instance, you might mistake the angelic girl-group stylings of "Background Melody (The Only One)" and "Last One in the World" for outtakes from the Blondie of ’78. More a reason, to be sure, for cheers than curses.--Rickey Wright