Label: Strawberry Soundtracks (Europe), STRSCD20081
Style: Rock, Pop
Country: Droylsden, Lancashire, England (20 January 1945)
Time: 79:42
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 576 Mb
(although by this point, the physical CD is nearly impossible to find and appears to have been issued on an extremely limited run). Stewart has a ton to say lyrically here, he's still in great form vocally, and although one could make a case that the bluesy melodic stylings that he frequently falls back on have grown formulaic, his craftsmanship remains immaculate, and nearly every song can easily stand tall with the best stuff he's ever done, with or without 10cc.
So many brilliant songs here... "Gnome Sweet Gnomes" and "Word Of The Mouth" are darkish tunes with wonderful, fuzzy pentatonic riffs. "Down By The Palace" is laced with more of those "Les Nouveaux Riches"-style 'steel drums' that Stewart has had an affection for for so long, and Stewart 'hides' some potent commentary within the insanely catchy reggae-fied tune. We also get the supremely melodic "It's In The Blood", the upbeat "Do Not Bend" (appearing here and not on the album of that name!), the typically bluesy "Friends Like These" and "Sleep At Night", and the uplifting title track, with wonderful guitar and keyboard interplay (is that a real Fender Rhodes??). As great as all of those tracks are, if I was pressed to pick just one favorite, it would probably be the rapturous ballad "We're Not Alone"--it's enhanced by an absolutely brilliant synth-string arrangement and has an incredible spine-tingling spiritual beauty that creeps up on you.
"Viva La Difference" is the work of an artist who really has nothing to prove, but still has so much to say and offer. It's more proof that Eric Stewart is one of Rock's all-time greatest, and I wouldn't miss it for the world.
(amazon.com/Viva-Difference-Eric-Stewart/product-reviews/B001PJOIBM)
01. Gnome Sweet Gnomes (05:17)
02. It's In The Blood (04:53)
03. Friends Like These (04:47)
04. Down By The Palace (05:35)
05. Do Not Bend (04:33)
06. Millennium Blues (03:50)
07. Viva La Difference (03:34)
08. We're Not Alone (05:34)
09. Word Of The Mouth (03:39)
10. Sleep At Night (04:31)
11. Can't Get Enough (04:21)
***Bonus Tracks:
12. You Are Not Me (04:36)
13. A Friend In Need (04:54)
14. Fred And Dis-Audrey (04:11)
15. Rappin' With Yves (03:20)
16. The Gods Are Smiling (04:29)
17. A Human, Being (04:18)
18. No No Nettie (03:12)
No comments:
Post a Comment