Look Into the Eyeball
Since disbanding theTalking Headsmany years back, David Byrne has charted a singular course in the pop world. He has delved deeply into the worlds of both Brazilian and African music, while never losing touch with his art-school rock roots. With the release ofLook into the EyeballByrne once again delivers a seamless blend of the musical forms that inspire him, with his trademark wry humor and keen sense of detail. While Byrne may never write the great heartbreaking standard, there is something quite moving about his droll observations on modern life. In songs like "Smile" and "The Revolution" (both of which feature beautiful string arrangements) one senses a genuine sadness, whereas perhaps in the old Talking Heads days one would feel only that they were lucky to be in on some prankster's intellectual joke. So what we have here is a mature artist at the height of his powers adding yet another classic to his already prodigious canon.--Ike Bolton