Amazon.co.uk Review
He's not your everyday heart-throb, but
Har Mar Superstar's third album,
The Handler proves there's more to this balding, slightly tubby R&B star's career than meets the eye. Sure, ostensibly, the initial appeal of loverboy tracks like "Transit" come through the fact that a gaggle of adoring females are singing "Har Mar is so sexy/ He gets all the ladies" in his honour. But beneath the smear of irony applied like Vaseline over tracks like "Back That Camel Up" and 'Sugar Pie", there's actually genuine wit and more importantly, songwriting content. Hall And Oates is a clear reference point on "Cut Me Up", a slice of of tanned, neon-bright disco-pop that could have squeezed neatly onto the soundtrack of
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City although you might be surprised to hear that the voice sparring with Har Mar is none other than Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O. It's not just indie chicks that dig the Har Mar, though--'Dui', a sort of Bontempi-lite take on R.Kelly's party anthem "Ignition (Remix)" features a vocal performance from pop queen Holly Valance that should raise a few eyebrows... and this time, we're not talking irony.
--Louis Pattison
CD Description
After moving into the legendary 'Dirt' era Motley Crue apartment on Sunset Strip for inspiration, Har Mar Superstar delivers his second album 'The Handler'. Moving away from the Prince inspired sound of his debut, the album has a more scuzzy rock 'n' roll sound with hints of Stevie Wonder's seventies funk sound. Guest appearances come from Karen O, Nick Zinner, and Pete Thomas.