Bryan Ferry

Bryan Ferry, the paradigm of rock 'n' roll freeze-frame, would never be so disheveled as to be frantic. But he can be urgent and persuasive -- qualities that dominate this album, his best in a good ten years. Paced by a propulsive, infectious cover of Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," the public face of Roxy Music has delivered a cohesive, hard-rocking disc. Unlike As Time Goes By, Ferry's appropriately languorous nod to Cole Porter, this one has more dimension. It references blues, cinema, and country icons and even incorporates the medieval: "Goddess of Love" tips a snap-brim hat to Marilyn Monroe, a Cajun-flavored "Goodnight Irene" salutes Leadbelly, Don Nix's "Goin' Down" is pretty damn bluesy, and the courtly "Ja Nun Hons Pris" is by Richard the Lionhearted (the king, not the rock group).

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More About

• Bryan Ferry
• Marilyn Monroe
• Leadbelly
• Don Nix
• Cole Porter

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As always, there's a rueful undercurrent to Ferry's music. The haunting "A Fool for Love," widescreen "San Simeon," and oddly bouncy "Nobody Loves Me" reveal the self-pity and narcissism that Ferry somehow manages to make appealing. Ultimately, of course, what makes any Ferry project work is high style, which Frantic has to burn.