David Byrne: Feelings

Listen to the opening track of David Byrne's latest album (the precious, up-tempo "Fuzzy Freaky"), and it's not hard to imagine Feelings marking the point at which the former Talking Heads leader finally devolves into self-parody. With its too-cute title and lyric—and its world-music-rhythm-of-the-month beats—it's easy to reach the conclusion that the album is the logical end of a path begun with the recording of the sex-change froth "Now I'm Your Mom." While the hyperactive "Miss America" is only somewhat of an improvement, Feelings only gets better from there. From "A Soft Seduction" onward, it's Byrne's sincerest-sounding effort in some time. About half the tracks are co-produced with the trip-hop band Morcheeba, but the expected electronica influence is largely confined to background effects, and at least one song, "The Civil Wars," finds Byrne actually rocking. That's not to say Feelings doesn't continue to incorporate wide-ranging musical influences, just that it does so without sacrificing Byrne's songwriting instincts. While not the knockout fans have been anticipating since the breakup of Talking Heads, Feelings is a fine return to form. Besides, if the album should grow tiresome, the "David Byrne Mood Computer" may be the most innovative variation on standard CD packaging this year.