On the heels of Revisited, 2003's expanded reissue of
The Original Sin, itself a fusion of new wave and new romantic styles that first surfaced in 1979,
Cowboys International brainchild Ken Lockie jump-starts his left-for-dead troupe to unveil
The Backwards Life of Romeo. With a vocal delivery reminiscent of
Hugh Cornwell,
Bryan Ferry, and
Lloyd Cole all at once, Lockie launches the set with "Strawberries," a song that sounds like it's straight out of 1985, as evidenced by its buoyant keyboards and crisp drumming. Elsewhere, the title track is similarly quirky, but Lockie's cast of
Cowboys fares much better when brooding. The romance-addled "Hold On Me" and the melancholy "Silent Sky" are standouts on an album that is otherwise pretty much hit or miss. ~ John D. Luerssen