Safe

Song: Safe
Artist: Duran Duran
Album: All You Need is Now






A look at the history of 80's music is not complete without British Pop/Rock band Duran Duran whom ruled the charts during the Me Decade with super hits "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Notorious," and "Girls on Film" just to name a few.  They've pretty much been making music since with small gaps here and there, band member shifting, and lapses in artistic judgement.  (!!) They haven't had a solid hit since the 90's when they had a slew of hits from their self-titled ("The Wedding Album") back in 1993, but their thirteenth effort, the recently released "All You Need is Now" is a return to form and their most well-known sound.

Despite that similar marketing catch ("a return to form") being used on the band before, just a couple listens to the new material and you realize that this isn't the lack-luster New Wave of "Astronaut" nor the hip-hop beats of 2007's (disastrous) Timbaland/Timberlake assisted "Red Carpet Massacre."  Opener and title-track "All You Need is Now" sounds very Garbage-esque until the chorus kicks in and the Duran Duran-ness of the song seeps in.  Lead Simon Le Bon's voice sounds as good, and unmistakable, as ever.  It's an exciting beginning to a very fun record.

The band teamed up with Mark Ronson around the "Red Carpet Massacre" era for an invitation-only performance where they performed songs from that album, Le Bon supplied vocals for songs from Ronson's "Version" project, as well as re-worked versions of Duran Duran classics.  The project must have been a successful collaboration as Ronson has returned to produce "All You Ned is Now" with winning results.  They haven't sounded this immediate for years.

"Blame the Machines" sounds just like the Duran Duran of old, "Leave a Light On" is a grow-on-you ballad that reminds you that the band does have the ability to write a moving slow jam ("Ordinary World") and "Being Followed" gives them a Giorgio Moroder beat and a Scissor Sisters-like vibe.  That continues a bit with "Safe" which features the Scissor's Ana Matronic, though sounds more like she's from Lucsious Jackson.  Fun track.

I've been listening to "All You Need is Now" for a couple weeks now and it's really grown on me.  I am a big fan of their 80's singles, and also had been enjoying a recent re-issue of "Notorious."  If you like their older stuff you'll dig this.

Enjoy.

Safe (Feat. Ana Matronic)


All You Need is Now


Blame the Machines