To be released by Hellcat Records on November 2, 1999
By David Hudson of London's Burning!
In the span of five years, the Clash released five albums including a double and a triple, numerous EP’s and singles. Touring as frequently as they did, their prolific accomplishments appear even more towering. In stark contrast to the rapid-release nature of his former band, Joe Strummer has kept rather quiet musically. Aside from Earthquake Weather (1989), his lone solo effort and several soundtrack and compilation contributions, not much of Joe’s musical vision has seen the light of day since the Clash broke up in 1985. Since then the musical landscape has changed significantly, challenging the relevancy of old punks such as Mr. Strummer. Fortunately, his long-awaited second solo effort, released on the Los Angeles-based ska label Hellcat Records, signals the successful return of the ex-Clash singer with a refreshed musical attitude.
By experimenting with many different styles of music (not all successfully), the Clash rose above the limiting nature of the punk aesthetic and remain fresh as ever today. Strummer has continued with this musical cross-culturalism by bringing in varied beats and textures. Reggae, of course, still remains influential in Joe’s songwriting and crops up immediately in the lead-off track, "Tony Adams." While the track starts out with a funky beat and guitar lick, it quickly shifts into a reggae strum and big drum sound. A World Beat rhythm contrasted with a delicate acoustic guitar drives "Sandpaper Blues", a soaring and uplifting track. The first single, "Yalla Yalla," employs a semi-trip-hop beat with numerous techno-sound flourishes. Not bad, but it sounds like Massive Attack when they were in elementary school. If Joe can sand off the many rough production edges of this track, this may prove to be any interesting direction for him in the future.!
Basic rock has always been at the heart of Joe Strummer’s work. "Techno D-Day" and "Forbidden City" show the listener that Joe hasn’t ditched his electric guitar. "Techno D-Day" was inspired by a confrontation with police at a music festival. Unfortunately the forced lyrics and obvious melody of "Techno D-Day" greatly undermine the track despite the catchy sing-along chorus. "Forbidden City", a song referring to the uprising at Tiananmen Square, fares much better employing an old rock ‘n’ roll beat with some gospel keyboards humming in the background. "Diggin’ the New" co-written with Richard Norris, brings some crunching guitars and feedback to a slow verse-fast chorus rocker. The enthusiasm in Joe’s voice shows he’s ready to explore as much musical territory as he can.
A great portion of the album rests on laid-back, reflective tunes. As it turns out, Joe manages to bring his enthusiasm, brisk style and an unburdened attitude to perform some great music. "X-Ray Style," with Pablo Cooke on percussion, employs bongos, acoustic guitars and a quick pace to create a wonderful experience. Joe is in a very mellow and fun mood with a Caribbean campfire sound. He has not lost his touch. "Nitcomb" combines elegiac lyrics with a soaring guitar sound. While Joe’s voice is not at his strongest during this song he nevertheless brings an urgency to his searching words. However, Joe missteps with the strange hip-hop clippity-clop beat of "Road to Rock and Roll." While the song has a good lead vocal line, it suffers from poor production choices. Joe more than recovers with "Willseden to Cricklewood." His pleading vocal, the background strings and soft piano create a lush and tranquil mood - the best album closer sin! ce "Straight to Hell" (well, that should have been an album closer).
While a few tracks are less than stellar, Joe Strummer has returned with a rich, varied and solid album. Rock Art & the X-Ray Style finds Joe getting a bit older and mellower, but still bringing his strengths to bear. Experimenting with musical texture, writing strong and urgent lyrics have always kept Joe and his endeavors in the forefront of rock music. His latest work proves to be a worthy addition to a long and storied career. Just don’t make us wait ten more years...
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