Five New Songs From Blondie: All Great
A Debbie by any name…
I went crazy trying to find Blondie’s last album, 2011’s Panic Of Girls, after a truly tremendous concert at Highline in 2011. I never did find it though I just checked it out and somebody slipped the album onto Spotify without bothering to tell me.
I’m guessing it is pretty great and I know the five songs given away with a ticket to Blondie’s Roseland show later this year are all excellent. All of them. Heavy beats, heavy disco, the same old Debbie distance and closeness at the same time, perfect dance songs from the band that brought you “Heart Of Glass” and “Atomic”, they are just begging for remix after remix, and on top of it all? Beth Ditto joins Debbie on a song!
Make A Way – A drum beat and a synth line and we are off with a smart, old fashioned disco groove with Debbie playing “Nintendo” and ready to go out – B+
I Screwed Up – Blondie have something going on with those first moments in 2013. A xylophone introduces you to a beautiful pop ballad that doesn’t stop moving, while Debbie, er, apologizes? Is that a first? – B+
Drag You Up – A Latin American flavor to the beat, with a beautiful counter melody also sung by Debbie . Tom toms hold it together and a solo in the middle is very lovely. Less disco but just as much heat – A-
Can’t Stop Wanting – But the Latin American rhythm was a fake out for this full blown salsa disco mash up, a really good song – A-
A Rose By Any Name – Here is the song with Beth Ditto and it is a complete triumph. I wonder assume that if this soulful slice of EDM had the right video it would take off in a hurry. The two voices are a perfect match and with gay marriage finally legalized it couldn’t be more timely – A
