After 20 years as the bare-chested arena-rock frontman of Aussie dance-pop-eteers INXS, Michael Hutchence cashed in his chips and exited, trading his mortal musical heroism for immortality. But not before he administered one more dose of rock-solid white-boy funk, this time without the surround-sound of his longtime band.
Many posthumous albums are cobbled together from rather flimsy pieces: a few vocal tracks, a page of lyrics, a hummed melody. Not this one. Michael Hutchence was largely complete before the artist's death two years ago, then polished by longtime collaborators Andy Gill and Danny Saber. Both obviously paid meticulous attention to Hutchence's original intentions and whopping creative spirit; the album feels as cohesive and as rumblingly sensuous as anything he's ever done.
Songs like "A Straight Line" and "Let Me Show You" smoke in the inimitably funky way that the best INXS material did, while other tracks like "All I'm Saying" and "Possibilities" smolder with a more introspective soulfulness. Without a doubt, Michael Hutchence is as good a farewell to this extraordinary talent as any eulogizer could have given. As he did in life, Hutchence continues to let his music speak for itself.
All recordings courtesy of V2 Records. ΓÇ£A Straight LineΓÇ¥ and ΓÇ£Get On The InsideΓÇ¥ written by A. Gill, M. Hutchence, courtesy of Copyright Control. ΓÇ£Baby ItΓÇÖs AlrightΓÇ¥ written by M. Hutchence, D. Saber, courtesy of Copyright Control/EMI Blackwood Music, Inc./One Eye Egyptian Music (BMI).
