I'm So Confused

WITH HIS boyish looks remarkably preserved (despite the fact that he's approaching fifty) and his adenoidal vocals still intact, Jonathan Richman is still every bit the wide-eyed innocent who brought us the infectious garage punk of 'Road Runner' and 'Egyptian Reggae' over twenty years ago. His strength over the years has been his stubborn adherence to an approach so simple and childlike it borders on the naive, the legendary 'Ice Cream Man' being among his finest moments.

Produced by former Cars mainman Ric Ocasek, I'm So Confused is an aptly titled mixed bag of some great, some not so great songs in quintessential Richman mode.

It kicks off with an ersatz David Byrne number 'When I Dance' which, like a lot of these songs, probably sounds great live but grates a little on repeated hearings. The unwieldy 'Ninteen In Naples' recalls another of Richman's early inspirations, Lou Reed, circa New York while on the title track, again Talking Heads-influenced he comes a mite too heavily under the influence of the producer.

It's on the love songs where his songwriting thrives more successfully. A quartet of such numbers begins with the contradictory 'True Love Is Not Nice' which contains the gem of a line "it can't be emphasised, true love is not civilised", followed by 'Love Me Like I Love'

|the absolute highlight of the album and up there with his best material. 'Hello From Cupid' is equally superb and the maudlin but irresistible 'If She Don't Love Me' rounds of this mini-opera of soppy lurve.