"The Concrete Jangle": A Great Title For A Great Record

When Steve Conte first announced that he was working with Andy Partridge, XTC fans across the world said, "Huh? Really? Why?" Conte, an excellent guitar player and occasional New York Doll, has done some excellent work. He's a solid player, and has co-written with Hanoi Rocks legend Michael Monroe on some of Monroe's best solo records. But the Partridge/Conte pairing seemed odd. Still, many were excited to hear anything new from Andy.

Then the first single arrived, "Fourth Of July," and it was only okay, sounding more like Conte's brand of glammy rock and roll than Partridge's brand of smart, whimsical pop. Then came single #2, "Shoot Out The Stars" and single #3, "We Like It," and I lost interest completely. I wasn't hearing what I wanted to hear, which was a new XTC record featuring songs co-written with Steve Conte. Instead, I was hearing a New York Dolls side project that Andy Partridge somehow took part in, which in and of itself, would have been fine. But Conte was so damn happy to be working with one of his heroes, he mentioned it five times a day, seven days a week, for the six months prior to its release, I couldn't get Partridge off my mind, which explains my initial disappointment.

"The Concrete Jangle" has finally been released and I went in with a new head and new ears and I am thrilled to say, those first three songs are inexplicably the three weakest tracks on the album. Andy Partridge has apparently five co-writes on the album, and I understood that the first three releases were his. But it is the other seven that shine, and at least five of those seven sound like what I'd been hoping for all along.

I'd like to blame Steve Conte for the pre-release hype, but I can't. I'd have been just as excited to work with a musical god from one of my all time favorite bands. But not many would have gone back in and given "The Concrete Jangle" a new pass after the unimpressive pre-release singles, and then those people would be missing out.

"The Concrete Jangle" is a great rock and roll record, with some fantastic melodies and enough hooks to snag a flounder, that will indeed remind you of XTC. Conte's guitar playing is a thrill throughout, and he is certainly channeling his hero on the last track, "I Dream Her."