Rod Stewart
Human
Atlantic
Rod Stewart doing R&B? Hip-Hop? Jazz? Dream no longer, because on his newest musical venture, it seems nothing is impossible for the Brit oldie. Human features the radio played “I Can•t Deny It,” “Smitten” (co-written by Macy Gray), “Don’t Come Around Here” (featuring Scottish singer/songwriter Helicopter Girl), “If I Had You” (typical Stewart love ballad), and the oddly entertaining title track, which in a few minutes, seems to describe the essence of the rest of the album. “I’m the one who took a walk on the moon/I made the Seven Wonders too,” cries Mr. Stewart into obviously hip-hop inspired melodies on “Human.”
I’m not saying that his line-blurring is wrong, nor am I saying it’s a bad CD; it•s simply just very different, and for die hard Rod Stewart fans, I could see it as a slight disappointment. While he stays close to home with a few weepy songs, the rest of the album is musical goulash, and not exactly being his number one fan, I’m unsure as to if this is an improvement. The final verdict would have to be that if you want to buy a Rod Stewart album that sounds like all the others, this would not be what I would recommend; if you’re willing to be supportive of an old dog learning some new tricks, then Human should be a perfect fit.
Atlantic Recording Co., 1290 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
