Bryan Ferry rarely departs from the formula he fashioned with late-era Roxy Music. Following recent diversions (Dylanesque, The Jazz Age and his work on The Great Gatsby soundtrack), he has returned to the sound that has served him well over the years. With long time producer Rhett Davies in the co-production chair, here he has enlisted the assistance of the likes of Johnny Marr, Nile Rogers, Flea, Ronnie Spector and Mark Knopfler (though it’s hard to spot any of the aforementioned within the grooves).
Best viewed as a kind of Avalon Mark II (the title presumably being a nod in that direction, rather than a tribute to the Irish milk brand), Avonmore comes with that familiar sound: a lush, layered mix of guitars, keyboards and slick percussion. All topped off, of course, with Ferry’s distinctive, ultra-smooth, decadent vocals.
If Avalon was more about atmosphere and ambience, this is stronger on tunes, and several here would have made hit singles in another time and place. Opening track ‘Loop De Li’ has it all – a slick, funky rhythm with staccato guitars, a muscular bass line and an engaging melody. It’s familiar, yet somehow fresh-sounding, and in fact there are echoes and reminders of his earlier triumphs everywhere on this album: ‘Lost’, a romantic ballad, recalls the title track of Avalon, with hints of ‘Oh Yeah’. Elsewhere, both ‘Driving Me Wild and ‘One Night Stand’ are reminiscent of the rhythmic pulse of ‘Don’t Stop The Dance’. ‘A Special Kind Of Guy’, meanwhile, boasts the pleading vocal and seductive strains of ‘Slave To Love’, and the title track features the precise metronomic rhythms of ‘More Than This’.
The standout track, though, is ‘Soldier Of Fortune’ – the most restrained number here, it’s an irresistibly infectious ballad with a gorgeous melody, and stands with his very best work. Always a master of interpretation, Ferry includes two covers at the end of the album, including a suitably louche reading of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Send In The Clowns’, and his take on the late Robert Palmer’s ‘Johnny & Mary’, which is here slowed down to a funereal pace. For Bryan Ferry, however, the party’s clearly not over yet.