it ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it

Boy George is a survivor. His ups and downs have been documented over many column inches over the years. Sadly, for the longest time, he was relegated to being some slightly reformed junkie who spent some time in the clink. Unfairly, his tremendous talent seems to have been glossed over by the sensationalism of his troubles.

Thankfully, it seems the gender bender extraordinaire has put that all behind him. He has slimmed down. He's sporting a lovely goatee. And he's back with "This Is What I Do", his first solo longplayer in eighteen (count 'em!) years. The first single from the album is "The King Of Everything" and it's an anthemic number which showcases his Bowie influences to fine effect.



But I still wonder, as many people must, what happened to the Culture Club album for which Mark Ronson was twiddling the knobs? And where did their 30th anniversary tour disappear to? Here's a clip of them performing "The War Song", a tune which George disowned for years, making a live appearance in concert about eighteen months ago in Dubai. Listen as they incorporate "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood in the middle of it.



The official tracklisting for "This Is What I Do" features the following tracks.

1. King Of Everything
2. Bigger Than War
3. Live Your Life
4. My God
5. It's Easy
6. Death Of Samantha
7. Any Road
8. My Star
9. Love And Danger
10. Nice And Slow
11. Play Me
12. Feel the Vibration

The elpee will hit the "shops" on October 28.

games without frontiers

"Video Games" by Lana Del Rey is one of those songs that never impressed me much. A lot of it has to do with her disingenuous nature and lack of substance. She has the personality of a styrofoam cup and her singing voice is less than engaging. All careful management and void of genuine style.

However, there have been several cover versions of "Video Games" that made me sit up and take notice of the song itself rather than the posturing around it. Now, Boy George lends his significant pipes to the track and delivers it with such grace and soul you'd think it was written from his pen.



This video just appeared on YouTube out of nowhere. No explanation. No hoopla. No warning. No indication that it's part of a particular project. Am I out of the loop?

Whatever the case, it appears there will be more if you read the fine print. Not sure what the connection is between the song and the clip. It's simply described as "a story of young love in bleak Britain".

I don't think the boy has sounded this rich and substantive in years! His lower register has taken on a less graveled tone. His voice has been imbued with a soulful honesty. This is the Boy George I grew to love and admire. Now let's sort out that Culture Club reunion!