It all seems a bit off kilter. The pushing of "You can dance", a really third rate song and video. The odd interviews. Alan Titchmarsh asking him questions and BF squirming "me?". Yes, it's you there. You do wonder if life has become so other-worldly "well, I normally eat out every night"- that he's just hopelessly out of touch. It's my firm belief that 30 odd years of luxurious langour puts out the fire pretty fully. None of the latest songs would have made it onto any Roxy album. It's sad. He, his Roxy colleagues and we folk, flogging a dead horse.

>None of the latest songs would have made it onto any Roxy album.<


Yes, you are right you know. Because that is exactly the reason why this is a Bryan Ferry solo album, and it’s a damn good one too, in my opinion, and in so many other’s opinion that you can read!

In Bryan’s words:
“On one point I thought of making it a Roxy album, but it didn’t really feel right.
A Roxy project for the future that I would love to do, would be more abstract, like a soundtrack”.

Artrocker: Not songs?
Bryan: Not necessarily songs. This album is songs.

To me, this is the worst BF album. The sound is perfect, the musicians too, the object is very nice and Bryan sings very well. But it's like a lovely packed gift and when you finally open it, there is nothing inside. No melodies, no soul, no enthusiasm. We are million miles away from any Roxy album, and, yes it is a Ferry album, but it's empty.

It seems that BF's British and European audience is more ambivalent about Olympia (some really like it, some are decidedly negative, with a lot in the middle who are interested but not exactly excited).

Over here in The States BF does not have a mass audience and, while Olympia hasn't cracked into mainstraem radio/media, it has definitely resonated with the up-scale Public Radio crowd. Here's a link to a review that appeared last night on "Fresh Air with Terry Gross" - probably the biggest arts/entertainment/media show on American public radio that is syndicated to hundreds of stations across North America, usually playing in the coveted 7-8pm timeslot.

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlaye ... =131243755

Interestingly, the review makes note that Olympia has only gotten a so-so response from European audiences but uses this as twist to imply how hip Americans (who of course listen to Public Radio!) are more savvy in embracing Olympia.

If a new Roxy album ever finds the light of day, it almost certainly will be HUGE NEWS in the world of American public radio and get tons of free PR...