Life

If you loved Culture Club in their heyday, you probably don’t care so much about reviews, you’re just happy there is new material, Life.

It should be noted, Culture Club has done a lot of live dates in the US and Europe in the last few years, perhaps a bit of a nostalgia tour, but it has shown the fans are thirsty and the Club’s musicianship is still good.

Life is the new album from – note this– Boy George & Culture Club. Here you’ll get ¾ of the gang, George, guitarist Roy Hay and bassist Mikey Craig. Life is the first album in almost 20 years ago, and judge that weighty title with your own perspective – it’s not that the threesome are reflecting on, perhaps, how life is, or sounds, now, they are sticking to what works.

The tracks on Life are soulful and a bit reggae, same groove as previously, and George’s 57-year-old voice is a little deeper, but still delicious. “Oil and Water” lets that voice enchant us. The soul-funk grooves on most of the 11 tracks will sound comfortably familiar, but a burst of trip-hop on “God & Love” is as cool as you choose it to be. Not sure what to think of the slighty calypso “Human Zoo”, but these guys seem to want to bring the fun and the familar, and why not? Glad “BG&CC” are back.