David Byrne has long been a prolific and eclectic — if not exceedingly bizarre — addition to the music scene. To say the least, the former front man of the Talking Heads is known around the industry for his creative taste and original concepts. Byrne’s new album, Here Lies Love, is obviously no exception.
Created in collaboration with Fatboy Slim (aka DJ Norman Cook), Here Lies Love, Byrne’s latest concept album, tells the story of former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. The two-disc album features a myriad of guest recording artists singing the majority of the songs, including Cyndi Lauper, Tori Amos, Martha Wainwright, Natalie Merchant, Santigold, Steve Earle and Sia. Byrne himself provides vocals on only two tracks, but his influence and direction is evident throughout the album.
One must give credit to Byrne for conceiving such a novel concept. This is almost certainly the first album to tell the story of Imelda Marcos, a woman infamous for her corruption and scandals and revered in pop culture for her incredible amount of shoes — she is said to have had over 3,000 pairs.
Byrne had originally created Love as a piece of musical theater, and though it was turned into an album instead, Byrne keeps the story of Marcos’ forbidden extramarital affair with a former servant alive in the style of a rock opera of sorts. Each track tells some aspect of the saga with the artist singing it playing the part of one “character” in the story.
In “Order 1081,” Natalie Merchant channels Marcos’ former servant and lover, Estrella Cumpas, as she moans about the inevitably of the government transforming to martial law. The track is melancholy and haunting, more a work of poetry than just a song.
Country singer-songwriter Steve Earle lends his voice as Imelda Marcos’ husband, President Ferdinand Marcos, on the track “A Perfect Hand,” which dictates Ferdinand’s intentions to find a woman who will support his thirst for power. Earle is a surprisingly good fit, and the country-twinged song is reminiscent of many hopeful, introductory hits common in the first act of musicals.
While Byrne clearly knew what he was doing when he chose the artists to feature on Love, the combination of artists and the varying styles of the songs they sing produces an ensemble that just doesn’t quite fit. The last song on the album is “Why Don’t You Love Me?,” a disco-infused pop song sung in duet by Cyndi Lauper and Tori Amos. Although the song itself is rather catchy, it feels much too light-hearted and out of place to end a considerably downhearted story of adultery and unrequited love.
Despite the awkward blend of artists and songs, it really is worth considering that Byrne attempts and succeeds something that relatively few artists seem to still do these days — create something new. We are so inundated with music genres that seem to sound more and more alike each day that it’s important to recognize an album that doesn’t sample other songs and dares to mix country, disco and pop.
For this reason, it is certainly worth listening to Here Lies Love even if it doesn’t sound like your cup of tea. The worst that can happen is you learn a little more about history.
3 stars out of 5.
