It's My Life [Vinyl]

Personnel: Mark Hollis (vocals); Robbie McIntosh (guitar); Henry Lowther (trumpet); Phil Ramocon (piano); Tim Friese-Greene, Ian Curnow (keyboards); Paul Webb (bass); Lee Harris (drums); Morris Pert (percussion).
An early band of New Romantics, they spent some time trying to shake off the image. Vocalist Mark Hollis has a problem insofar that his voice is very much of the New Romantic era, the pristine, pitch-perfect singing style similar to Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet) and Martin Fry (ABC). Hollis's distinctive voice made some good pop songs sound great. The title track, for example, has every synth gimmick under the sun but cannot fail in its infectious spirit. Some splendid old-timers are added to the proceedings; jazz trumpeter Henry Lowther wails beautifully and guitarist Robbie McIntosh excels. Splendid, unchallenging stuff.

• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Pop