Note: tracks 13, 15 and 18 are not available in 24-bit, you should download the album through your Qobuz application for PC / Mac.
In the midst of Eighties synths there arises an atypical soulful voice. At the head of the Fine Young Cannibals, Roland Gift is a crooner with a nasal but fascinating falsetto. Backed by two former members of the excellent Birmingham ska band The Beat (guitarist Andy Cox and bassist David Steele), this artist, who also made his debut in a ska band (Akrylykz), offers a kind of hybrid soul of silky pop, smooth jazz and elegant rock. 31 years after its release, The Raw & the Cooked, their second and no-less-classy album resurfaces in remastered form in 24bit Hi-Res augmented by B-sides, demos and remixes. Hard not to think of Prince as soon as the catchy She Drives Me Crazy opens the record, especially since this single was recorded at Paisley Park, the studio of the funkster of Minneapolis and, that one of his acolytes, David Z, produced. Tight and effective rock 'n' soul groove can be found on most other tracks. As with the self-titled debut album that Fine Young Cannibals had released four years earlier and reissued at the same time, the very 80's rhythm – elastic drums and plastic drum box – is sometimes a bit outdated but never undermines the coherence of the record and the strength of the writing. The minimalist hip hop beat of I'm Not the Man I Used to Be shows that the trio also knows how to break the mould and even confound their fans’ expectations, as on the surprising cover of the punk anthem Ever Fallen In Love by Buzzcocks, re-done here for the dancefloor. To rediscover, urgently. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz