Pride certainly isn't
Robert Palmer's finest hour due to a number of uncharacteristically weak tracks, but it's interesting enough in spurts, thanks to
Palmer's eclectic nature. More than anything, the album works as an uneven middle ground between the crisp lo-fi electronics of
Clues and the moody
rock of
Riptide. Perhaps here more than on his previous albums, the strong songs are forced to carry the weight of some lesser efforts. But the standout tracks are quite good: the invigorating and thoroughly catchy
"Pride" shows an obvious Bahamian influence with its steel drums and unusual syncopation;
"Deadline," a clear sequel to
"Looking for Clues," is just as catchy and fun;
"It's Not Difficult" and
"Say You Will" mine
Gary Numan and
Thomas Dolby territory, and both are fitted with addictive vocal passages.
Palmer stumbles somewhat as producer, too often offering up cheesy synth horns and failing to end songs in a satisfying way. Too many of the songs simply stop on a dime, and others fade out randomly, giving the impression they've been edited for the airwaves or that they're demos. Unlike most
Palmer albums,
Pride features some true stinkers:
"Dance for Me"
struggles awkwardly to be sexy;
"The Silver Gun" makes no sense with its film score lite effects and
Palmer singing in Urdu. Elsewhere, songs straddle brilliance and mediocrity. An example is the
Kool & the Gang cover,
"You Can Have It (Take My Heart)," which fails despite
Palmer's wonderfully droll delivery, because it's desperately underproduced and lacking punch.
"What You Waiting For" is a near-classic, with a great off-kilter chorus, but somehow the song meanders into second-rate status.
Pride is essential only for
Palmer fanatics. Others can stick to the genius of
Clues, an album that covers nearly all the bases of
Pride and trumps it resoundingly. [
Pride was remastered and re-released in 2012.] ~ Tim DiGravina
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