The Curse Of The Blondie

Blondie have made a fair fist of this comeback business, both commercially and critically, so much so that their second post-reunion album can be greeted with a degree of expectation.
The Curse Of Blondie isn’t the work of pop genius we might have hoped for. The band seem unsure whether to concentrate on reliving past glories or trying to keep up with the young NYC guns and the results occasionally sit uncomfortably between the two. When it works, as on the disco-ish ‘Good Boys’ and the more punky ‘Golden Rod’, the glory days of yore come galloping over the horizon and the curse of Blondie seems like the figment of someone’s fevered imagination: this is great pop music. Too often, though, those tight, sparky new wave roots are smothered by the production job and Harry’s distinctive, sexy voice is given the aural equivalent of a soft focus, buried amongst the keyboards and programmed rhythms.