This Is What I Do is less a return to form for the former Culture Club superstar Boy George and more a return to style; after album on album on album of dance tracks, George has returned to the reggae-soul mix that made him famous, and, if any one still particularly cares, it works out fine him.
At the age of 52, with a hard drug addiction and scads of bad press (my personal fave was when he handcuffed a male escort and then called the police… without hiding his drugs) in his review mirror, George has returned sober, vegan and with a booming baritone that sweeps these songs, often, like opening track “King Of The World”, self portraits in miniature.
Down the middle of the album, from the 6th to the 13th track, are a swatch of reggae rhythm soul tracks, lilting numbers that recalls from a great distance Mr. O’Dowd’s heyday, and if the songs were a little better it would be major fun stuff. But the problem is they can’t quite good enough. “Turn On A Little Light For Me” is a deadly serious jog, “Feel The Vibration” throws some Middle East Favor” on the mix to mixed results and “Love And Danger” very typical reggae saved, as is every thing, by his craggy, strong voice. He sounds like Boy George grown up.
The band is pretty good as well, perhaps too session-y, I missed him at Webster Hall earlier this year but I hear his backing band were excellent, maybe he needs to get back in the studio because they sound anonymous but smart and professional here. Perhaps that’s the problem here, in George’s attempts to clean up he sounds a little too unmessy. “I’m glad I’m not crazy like I used to be”.
There are several good covers, a Yoko Ono here, a Bob Dylan there and a Lana Del Rey everywhere: they all work pretty well albeit not very well.
Boy George’s best solo album by a lot shot but it misses that one sure shot to get him back where he was.
Grade: B-
