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Tracks Devil’s Party Pretty Vegas Afterglow Hot Girls Perfect Stranger Remember Who’s Your Man Hungry Never Let You Go Like It or Not Us God’s Top Ten
Switch, INXS's first release since re-fashioning itself as a prime-time reality show spectacle, could earn somebody an A in sociology. A poll of inter-generational hipsters is bound to show that the degree to which you like it correlates directly to your age. The over-30 crowd--those who once shimmied to the late Michael Hutchence's hugely sexy vocal turns on hits such as "Need You Tonight" and "What You Need"--might have a hard time dissing it, mainly because J.D. Fortune succeeds so unswervingly at imitating him. On the other hand... there it is: imitation doesn't always sit well with the generation that recently ripped into Paul Rodgers for parading around stages as Freddy Mercury, and as much as 30-something rock sophisticates will want to relive INXS's heyday, they'll do so suspiciously without Hutchence at the helm. Younger fans, on the other hand--the ones that discovered the band on reality TV--can enjoy J.D. Fortune and co. without reservation, and they will love this disc best. For them, "Devil's Party" (reminiscent of "Original Sin") will arrive without reference, thereby making near-impossible funk-rock coolness seem new. Ditto that effect on "Pretty Vegas," a vampy number co-written by Fortune that owes its guitar riff to "Devil Inside." "Like It or Not" and "Hot Girls," two other standouts, also go a long way toward peeling away the poser tag Hutchence fans may want to affix to Fortune, but may not entirely remove it. For some fans, Hutchence's "Never Tear Us Apart" plea is a personal thing.--Tammy La Gorce
Surprisingly good... I can't say I have ever been a huge INXS fan. To me, they were just another band with videos on MTV (back in the old days when MTV still showed videos...ah yes, a simpler time...), and I found it quite strange that they would choose the unusual route of reality TV to find a new lead singer, although the criticism leveled at them for this seemed just as strange. I mean, wasn't that Bob Dylan I saw in a Victoria's Secret commercial?
However, I became intrigued in SWITCH when I saw the bands' performance on Letterman. I thought the song AFTERGLOW was great. I then did something I haven't done in well over a year; I purchased the CD new (I usually by my CD's used) and was genuinely surprised at how good this CD is. Every song is strong and there is definitely that INXS sound I remember from the past soundtrack of my life.
Yes, at times J.D. Fortune sounds amazingly like Michael Hutchence, (just listen to the first track DEVIL'S PARTY) and I think that's to be expected to a certain extent. Put away any pre-conceived notions you might have and give this one a listen, I think you'll enjoy it.
Surprisingly good listen! Yes, I too was a little apprehensive about buying Switch. I really liked Rock Star: INXS and was into Pretty Vegas, but all the negative press I was hearing about J.D. being a "poser" and how this was an obvious sell-out - not worthy to the INXS standard - scared me off a little bit. But after giving Switch a couple of spins, I was very surprised as to how consistently good it was. There are no duds in the bunch.
Now don't get me wrong, it's certainly not on the same level as say, Kick or Listen Like Thieves. It's a little formulaic, but at least it's consistently good. It's definitely way better than the mid 90's clunkers Full Moon, Dirty Hearts and Elegantly Wasted. The guys seem hungry and happy to be making quality music and it permeates the vibe of the whole CD.
I agree with the other reviewers that J.D. does a commendable job and that they made the right choice in Rock Star. He doesn't have the range that Michael did, but he does a good voice, projecting sexness and confidence the same way Michael did. He's a decent songwriter as well, and look forward to more compostitons from J.D. on the next CD.
So I guess I was worried for nothing. I'd say it probably ranks as a mid-level INXS CD, on par with say Welcome to Wherever You Are or Shabooh Shoobah in terms of a consistently enjoyable listen with a few excellent tracks, but certainly not a career-defining masterpiece. But seeing as to how INXS was going before Michael died, this is a great return to form.
Oh, and as to the previous reviewer who couldn't think of bands besides Van Halen and AC/DC who cahnged lead singers and stayed successful, there were also Genesis (Peter Gabriel to Phil Collins) and Fleetwood Mac (Peter Green to Nicks, Buckingham, and company), both whom became even more successful with their new singers. I'd say INXS is on their way to joining this illustrious company.A Great Album all the way through! I am so glad INXS found JD Fortune. As a GenXer nearing forty, I am an INXS fan from the early days of Shabooh Shoobah and have missed their infectious music. It is true that Michael's soulfulness could never be replaced, but reality show or not (tastefully done I might add)- INXS found in JD someone who could move the band into the modern era, while also doing justice to their incredible back catalog live. Some of this CD has the classic INXS formula like the hook-laden Dance/Rockers Devil's Party and Pretty Vegas, but songs like Never Let You Go, Hot Girls, Perfect Strangers and the Bowie-esque Hungry bring the band to a place I don't think they would have gone with MH. I only wish this album would have included the bonus tracks Easy, Easy and Let's Ride, as they are both outstanding and would balance the album out with a bit more dance-rock. JD does for INXS what very few replacement frontmen have been able to do, replicate the original vocal sound well enough, while still injecting his own original style to move the band forward. If you have not had the opportunity to catch the band perform the several selections from Switch along with classics from the past live, do yourself a favor and do so...After Fortune belts out the vocals for the opening Suicide Blonde you will realize he was the only choice!
