DAMON AND NAOMI
The Earth Is Blue (Sonic Unyon)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

---

Let me be the first to official slag this record. Ok, maybe slag is too harsh, since the album at hand is quite alright, but really, when the bar is high anything less must rank as a foul. From their stellar beginnings as part of Galaxy 500 to latter collaborations and duet efforts, Damon and Naomi have maintained a spotless track record of pop atmospherics. So let's give them the benefit of the doubt and call this a career dip, a mid-life crisis mistake, a brief batting slump. And all that's really firing my ire is one lonesome track: a jazzy noodle version of the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". It's always a bad sign when popsters try and get jazzy (see Sting), and doubly so when they attempt this new direction on a pop standard. Maybe they got carried away by Sir Paul's Super Bowl show - I dunno. It's quite awful really, and I fear it is clouding my judgment on the rest of the disc, which upon further detection is quite good, but not up to the usual snuff. I hear Dean Wareham is presently without band: maybe a G-500 reconciliation is in order.

© 2005 - John Sekerka