Very Me Records
Pop, 2014
Oh dear. Boy George stated in interviews that he wanted This Is What I Do to be an album true to himself and not some bandwagon-hopping effort onto the current EDM craze, but is there any reason for this one to be so effective in putting me to sleep?
Things started fine with the melancholic King of Everything, which is basically about a person who finally realizes just much damage his destructive behavior has caused to himself and the ones he loves, and the song is about him wondering whether he can ever redeem himself.
Put down the booze
Let the demons win the fight
Dropped my gloves to the ground
You know I’m sorry
For the times I made you cry
I made an art of letting you down
It’s remarkable how much pain he can pack in simple words, and his delivery of the chorus is heartbreaking. This is one song I can listen to again and again just to experience the pleasure of having my heart broken.
The next track, Bigger Than War, ain’t too bad. There’s him being backed by a bunch of lively background vocalists, who basically carried this preachy tune to the finish line while Boy George sings like he’s trying his best to stay awake.
It’s downhill all the way from there. Sure, the songs have varied styles, but they all show a lack of energy. His vocals are raspy and lackadaisical, and a lot of time the songs are carried by the background track and the background vocalists. And when these songs are as lively as poor souls on life support, it’s hard to muster the enthusiasm to even stay awake, much less care.
