Switch [DualDisc]

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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Matt Collar
For all intents and purposes, the death of Australian rock band INXS' lead singer Michael Hutchence in 1997 ended the band's career. Despite being a phenomenal live band with influences that combined funk, new wave, and melodic rock, Hutchence was always the focal point of the band and without his rock star charisma and, more importantly, his warm, soulful vocals, there really wasn't much point for the band to continue. They did make attempts though, with both Terence Trent D'Arby and Jon Stephens fronting the band in the late '90s and early 2000s, respectively. But nothing worked until the band hooked up with reality TV impresario Mark Burnett for the extended audition ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Matt Collar
For all intents and purposes, the death of Australian rock band INXS' lead singer Michael Hutchence in 1997 ended the band's career. Despite being a phenomenal live band with influences that combined funk, new wave, and melodic rock, Hutchence was always the focal point of the band and without his rock star charisma and, more importantly, his warm, soulful vocals, there really wasn't much point for the band to continue. They did make attempts though, with both Terence Trent D'Arby and Jon Stephens fronting the band in the late '90s and early 2000s, respectively. But nothing worked until the band hooked up with reality TV impresario Mark Burnett for the extended audition show Rockstar:INXS, which found unknown vocalists from around the world competing to become the new lead singer of INXS -- enter J.D. Fortune. A former Elvis impersonator from Canada, Fortune introduced himself to INXS by bellowing through "American Woman." INXS chalked the awkward performance up to opening night jitters and Fortune rallied on, ultimately even beating out the odds-on favorite Aussie Mig Ayesa. All of which brings us to Switch, INXS' first post-Hutchence album, and the first with Fortune. Truthfully, if you accept that Hutchence was the best thing about INXS than nothing the band does now could be better than even the worst album the band made with him. That said, for all of Rockstar:INXS's sickeningly glitzy cheesiness, it had both a sense of humor and fun about itself. Which seemed to indicate that INXS also had the same self-awareness that they were a great back catalog in need of live frontman. In that spirit, Switch finds the band working with such hit-making songwriters as the Matrix and Desmond Child in an attempt to reference sounds from every era of the band's career. Even Fortune, who impressed the band during the TV show with his lyrics for lead-off single "Pretty Vegas" gets some more writing credit with the album opener "Devil's Party," an obvious nod to "Devil Inside" one of the band's most recognizable hits from 1987's Kick. Similarly, the epic ballad "Afterglow" references U2's "With or Without You" while the driving "Hungry" could easily be a B-side from 1984's synth pop heavy The Swing. Vocally, Fortune does match some of Hutchence's deep soul leanings, and although he's more leaden and doesn't have any of the higher-end, blue-eyed soul that was Hutchence's trademark, he is clearly up for the sex-god-rock star pose. The album tends to "switch" back and forth from heartfelt love songs to songs about the decadent rock lifestyle, even making room for some ersatz reggae along the way. Fans of the Rockstar:INXS TV show will be pleasantly surprised to find female contestants Suzie McNeil and Deanna Johnston making appearances with McNeil, and even getting a duo lead with Fortune on "God's Top Ten." It's nice to see INXS acknowledge the show which ultimately redefined the band apart from Hutchence. [The Dual Disc version of Switch includes an extra DVD which features the album in enhanced stereo as well as the "Pretty Vegas" music video and a making of Switch documentary.]
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 1/24/2006
  • Label: Sony
  • UPC: 828767477626
  • Catalog Number: 74776
  • Sales rank: 150,212

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Devil's Party (3:25)
  2. 2 Pretty Vegas (3:25)
  3. 3 Afterglow (4:09)
  4. 4 Hot Girls (3:33)
  5. 5 Perfect Strangers (4:12)
  6. 6 Remember Who's Your Man (3:28)
  7. 7 Hungry (4:47)
  8. 8 Never Let You Go (4:19)
  9. 9 Like It or Not (3:44)
  10. 10 Us (4:07)
  11. 11 God's Top Ten (4:54)
Disc 2
  1. 1 Devil's Party
  2. 2 Pretty Vegas
  3. 3 Afterglow
  4. 4 Hot Girls
  5. 5 Perfect Strangers
  6. 6 Remember Who's Your Man
  7. 7 Hungry
  8. 8 Never Let You Go
  9. 9 Like It or Not
  10. 10 Us
  11. 11 God's Top Ten
  12. 12 Pretty Vegas
  13. 13 Bonus Material
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
INXS Primary Artist
Gary Beers Group Member
Guy Chambers Guitar, Keyboards
Andrew Farriss Group Member
Jon Farriss Group Member
Tim Farriss Group Member
Dan Higgins Flute, Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
Paul Mirkovich Piano, Background Vocals
Kirk Pengilly Group Member
Wayne Bergeron Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Lisbeth Scott Background Vocals
Anne Lewis Background Vocals
Andrew Martin Trombone
Paul Stanborough Guitar
J.D. Fortune Group Member
Deanna Johnston Background Vocals
Suzie McNeil Vocals, Background Vocals
Technical Credits
Scott Duncan Video Director
Desmond Child Composer
Gregg Alexander Composer
Gary Beers Composer
Guy Chambers Composer, Producer, Orchestral Arrangements, Audio Production
Andrew Farriss Composer, Horn Arrangements
Jon Farriss Composer
Kirk Pengilly Composer, Horn Arrangements
Doug Sax Mastering
Annie Roboff Composer
Todd Parker Digital Editing
Tony Bruno Composer
Brandy Flower Art Direction
Richard Flack Programming, Producer, Engineer
Paul Stanborough Engineer, Digital Editing
Jordis Unga Composer
Marty Casey Composer
J.D. Fortune Composer
Katherine Kennedy Video Producer
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