Deborah Harry Album: “Rockbird”

My first choice among Deborah Harry's solo albums is Debravation, which is for some reason out of print. Of the ones available (and I think they all are except Debravation), Rockbird is my favorite. Anyone who likes Deborah Harry should like this CD.

I'll confess to being an incorrigible Debbie Harry fan: I have a cat name Debbie Harry, and if Deborah Harry released an album with Close to You, Achy Breaky Heart and the theme to the Brady Bunch, I'd buy it.

That said, Rockbird has many excellent qualities: each segue from one song to another is good. The album is well put together; it is the kind of album you play straight through. Or at least I do. I never cut out tracks or pick one or two songs to play over and over. I just pop the CD in and let it go.

If you want to know about individual songs, however, yeah, this one has French Kissin' in the USA, and yeah, it's really, really good.

This album showcases Harry's voice more than any of her other albums. The background accompaniment is very much in the background, so you have the pleasure of enjoying the sound of her voice. This album doesn't recapture any of the Blondie sound, because its not about a group and its sound. Its about Deborah Harry as a soloist. It's wonderful.

This was Deborah (or Debbie) Harry's first comeback attempt, and one that deserved more attention than it got (in the U.S., at least). From the synth-seduction of "French Kissin'" to the superb "Free to Fall," this is a far superior to her first solo effort, the uneven "KooKoo." Though the lyrics (she had a hand in writing almost all of the tracks) are not as strong as those in her Blondie offerings or in later solo work, there are still some pretty clever turns of phrase. Other songs of note are the hypnotic "In Love with Love" and the funk-infused "Beyond the Limit" (sounding suspiciously like a reworked--and much better--cast-off from "KooKoo"). Sadly, when this was released in 1986 it did not get the airplay it deserved. If you're a Blondie/Deborah Harry fan, don't make the same mistake American radio made; get this CD and hear it for yourself.

What the pop world needed more than anything was the return of Debbie Harry. In late '86 she delivered a pop classic that saw her back in the top 40, mainly thanks to the huge success of the top 10 hit French Kissin'. Follow up singles Free To Fall & In Love With Love further highlighted her vocal talents. Seth Justman, on leave from J. Geils, uses a large palette of instrumental colours to back Harry's breathy style.

By this time it was long official: Blondie was on...shall we say semi permanent hiatus after the commercial failure of their album

. It was probably exactly the right time. Debbie herself had already released the excellent and funky Chic produced solo recording

a year before hand anyway. So time had come for her to get on with her solo career. Actually seen this album around a lot. Heard some things about it that led me to believe that it was a little on the weak side. But everyone has their own opinion right? Following her first solo recording and latter work with Blondie,Debbie was branching out of the new wave rock sound and into interests in funk,dance and even jazz. What direction would her solo career continue to take? Where would it go? Well this is Debbie Harry and the best one can do with her is join her on her wild musical rides.

One thing this is not is a rock album. In fact guitars play a very minimal part in this music. In fact only the bubblegum pop sounding "I Want You" and the title song have much to do with rock n roll or Blondie's sound at all. And they are pretty good little pop tunes actually. And quite inventive. "French Kissin" is a strong highlight,with kind of a stop/start jazzy pop rhythm and a very intricate melody. The jumpy "Buckle Up","You Got Me In Trouble","In Love With Love" and "Secret Life" are all equally excellent songs,taking a somewhat quirky and almost Prince-like approaching of fusing 80's dance revival with elements of new wave rock. Nothing Minneapolis here though-even those songs come from a very New York state of mind. "Free To Fall" is the one slow song here. Rather a heartland pop/rock type number with a great melody and some insightful lyrics. The final track is my own favorite. In keeping with Duran Duran of the time,"Beyond The Limit" has some powerful bass/guitar interaction and is deeply in the groove. It's a strong continuation of the sound of her debut.

Overall this is a wonderful album. Not a bad track to be heard from this vantage point. It's filled with melodic peppiness,superb instrumental arrangements and song craft. Not only that but Debbie and her band,including the sympathetic Uptown Horns actually craft a sound that's soulful,funky and dance worthy for the era. This s a good example of how even 80's haters would have to admit music did indeed become more powerful from the mid to end of that decade. People such as Debbie Harry on this album had managed to find a way in which to use a combination of electronic and standard instruments to focus attention on the songs and the music rather than the sound of them. So the grooves are tough,the melodic ideas are sharp as could be and even the rhythmic combinations used are very inventive. People such as myself who heard this album was a generic throwaway and was "extremely corporate" (one never knows what genuine phrase will become tomorrows buzz words,do we>),they would be well advised to give this album a chance. There's nothing but good music to be found here.

I bought this on vinyl back in the day, and have yet to stop singing its praises. Deb - even at her 'worst' - is head and shoulders above anyone today...and "Rockbird" is far from her worst. Very far. It is relentless in its musical muscle, and once you start with "I Want You" - good luck in trying to stop listening to this. Following releases (Def Dumb & Blonde/Debravation) may have paled in comparison, but at least there is Rockbird - - - to remind us who is boss!