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Review The band obviously realised that while Up sold in good enough quantities, they were in danger of alienating their massive fanbase. While Monster had attempted to return them to the full-on rock of their more lucrative period, this time it wasn't Peter Buck who saved the day but Michael Stipe. His vocals are clear and concise, showing no debt to the muddy, blurred outpourings that had in turns added to their early mystique and frustrated anyone trying to find deeper meaning. Put simply, Reveal is full of love songs.
The biggest hit here, Imitation Of Life, successfully recreates the rush of Losing My religion; sounding utterly joyous and in love with life. Beat A drum even sees our man Stipe singing of a sexual encounter that leaves him reeling. No wonder he sounds happier... And who could resist the Gl;en Campbell-alike baritone twang of All The Way To Reno? Even Bucks and Mills' Beach Boys obsession gets another (successful) airing on Beachball. It's all like a nice warm cup of tea poured into your ears.
Overall the expanded cast of Joey Waronker on drums, as well as the Posies' Ken Stringfellow and the Young Fresh Fellows' Scott McCaughey on keyboards never clogs up the surroundings. If the band's earliest recordings always suffered from underproduction, and albums like Up and New Adventures In Hi Fi sounded too calculated and pristine to make you care, Reveal has a warmth that comes from finally being able to use all the shiny happy toys that modern technology had to offer. we could all breath a sigh of relief... --Chris Jones
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What Stipe seems to do is invoke a feeling in you that makes you think every song is delivered to you. Three REM songs stand out like this, 'Tongue' on Monster, 'Walk Unafraid' on Up, and 'I'll take the Rain' on this one. REM are unstoppable in their ability - to get through crisis after crisis and still make music this beautiful, 20 years after 'Murmur'.
In one word - outstanding.
With the exception of Reno and The Lifting, the album so far is quite bleak, but the mood changes on Beat A Drum, a summery, folkish tune. Imitation Of Life, Summer Turns To High and Chorus And The Ring follow, all more uptempo, and with the occasional Beach Boys influene thrown in. In my opinion, this is the weaker part of the album, but is still highly listenable.
The penultimate track is easily the highest moment of Reveal. The gorgeously sad ballad, I'll Take The Rain, rivals such REM classics as Losing My Religion, Everbody Hurts and The One I Love, with its anthemic chorus. Michael Stipe's voice sounds its fullest and richest on this track, complementing the soaring strings - pure REM class. While I'll Take The Rain would have made the perfect closer, the band opted for Beachball, a summery track, complete with horns. A happy end to a balanced and very good album. I'll be checking out the back catalogue very soon indeed.
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