Varieté

I have impatiently waited for this CD to be released- Marc's last self-penned album apparently, though I'm not sure of this... The first time I listen to a record I've been waiting for for a long time I always check what my initial reaction is- I think it is an interesting indication. Well, Variete made me nostalgic. Please don't take this the wrong way: if you are looking for uplifting music, Marc Almond might not be your best choice, we all know this and it's totally ok. Variete seemed like a very introspective, reflective work coming from a man who feels more connected with the past than with the present or the future. Again, nothing wrong with this, but there is a definite sense of nostalgia, which can be sensed even in the art work on the CD sleeve. I have been following Marc since the early Soft Cell days and I've always admired him for his capacity to generate music vastly different from current trends: Marc has always been himself, loved or hated, and this determination coming from such a small, vulnerable-looking person has always fascinated me. Variete deals a lot with themes that Marc had not dwelt on for a long time: he goes back to old wounds and puts his fingers back into them (strange for a man over 50... do wounds not heal with time???). 'Trials of Eyeliner', 'Lavender', 'Sandboy' feel like 'Ugly Head revisited (with a bit of 'Where the heart is' and 'The sea says' for good measure). I am not surprised that Marc's dealing with recurrent themes- all artists do- what I am more concerened about is why is he showing his more vulnerable, wounded side? Why is he talking about his childhood and teenage years again? Is maturity hard to take for him? Of course there are other songs that talk about other things- 'Bread and Circus', 'It's all going on' or 'Variety' are obviously different- but, somehow, the impression of Marc looking back at the past with nostalgia remains. As I said, old wounds seem not to have completely healed. This nostalgic feeling is also noticeable in other songs like 'Soho so long' or in the 50s-influenced melody of 'Unloveable'. I was happy to listen to 'Nijinsky heart', a proper Marc Almond single, with beautiful strings and an exotic melody.
The mini-album with extra songs is clearly influenced by jazz and the 50s. 'Kiss the ghost goodbye' brings us to 'Love and little white lies', from 1985, so it does feel like a walk down memory lane. I saw the movie 'Mojo' (its soundtrack contains two songs by Marc), and this CD somehow feels like London in those years...
I love this album. It comes from Marc's heart/gut and it shows a side to him that we had not heard for a long, long time. The wounded child is back.

It is hard to remain neutral when reviewing an album from a performer who's music you have lived with for 30 years.
This album has a selection of really good, strong self penned songs accompanied by quality musicians that have worked with Marc for many years. On first listening it is hard to believe the lyrics are not autobiographical in some way.
It is a very intimate album, that drags you into a world full of emotion, both high and low. Classic Marc!
Great tunes, immediate hook lines in chorus and the ability to keep the tunes running through your mind long after the cd had finished.
As I say, hardly unbiased but even those who have hardly heard any of Marc's solo work have been impressed with the depth and clarity of this album.
Highly recommended.

A fantastic album that improves after every listen. A deeply personal album not just to Marc but his fans also. The only negative aspect is that he is far too critical of himself in his lyrics. But thats what makes Marc Marc and his songs so sublime. This is a very close 2nd to Mother Fist in my opinion which still remains my favourite. But there are many fantastic tracks on this album including some possible single releases in Variete and Nijinsky Heart. Overall a truely superb album that should be treasured and explored again and again.