My Amazon Reviews: The Very Best of Jimmy Somerville, The Communards and Bronski Beat

Hits The High Notes
4 Out of 5 Stars

Jimmy Somerville is a very lucky artist in that he has been a success in all three ventures of his musical career. Blessed with a true, unique pop falsetto voice, he came to fame with Bronski Beat, split them after one album to form The Communards, then segued into a successful solo third act. This 2002 best of gathers 17 songs from all three periods and holds together very well for the fact that Somerville was working with three different guises.

Because his voice is such a signature, even the variety of styles all sound like Jimmy Somerville. Since the album runs the songs in no particualr sequencew, this is trait is to his benefit. His in-your-face attitude about things, didn't hurt, either. Here was a kid who, in 1984, blasted down barriers by writing songs about being a confused gay kid trying to come to terms with sexuality, not masking the gender or being cute about it, and scoring an international hit. To this day, both "Why" and "Smalltown Boy" have no equal in gay pop.

Then he was off to even gayer things by forming The Communards, who pushed both their sexuality and Somerville's socialist beliefs front and center. After all, who would have couched a cover of Gloria Gaynor's "Never Can Say Goodbye" next to one of the first AIDS tributes, the beautiful "For a Friend." (And although none of the sharper political songs are included, this was also Somerville's most biting period lyrically.)

The Communards made it through two albums before disbanding, and Somerville solo is represented with songs from two albums. His voice has gained a little more depth through the years, but that doesn't stop him from tearing into yet another disco classic, Sylvester's "You Make Me Feel Mighty Real." There's also a reggae-fied cover (a trend all too common at the time) of The Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody" and the danceable original, "Read My Lips."

Overall, Somerville maintained is identity throughout. It even makes a couple of clinkers (hit or not, his pairing with Marc Almond on Donna Summers' "I Feel Love" is a novelty that wears out quickly) worth sitting through. After this, everyone should still own "Age Of Consent," which still maintains its shockingly groundbreaking relevance nearly a quarter century later.