Iggy Pop

Soldier

Cynical, Loopy, Indulgent, and Just Plain Fun

Review Score:

(10/10)
Mr. Iggy Pop really cuts the rock and roll mustard with this one; it's depraved, lunatic, sometimes over-the-top (but always delightfully so), and oh so much fun. . . its entirely original, and very very Iggy. (Well, not completely Iggy, as David Bowie has his hand in Iggy's cookie jar on this album (which, in my opinion, only strengthens the album: they do work so well together, don't they?!). The tunes and lyrics are infectious; you will very likely find yourself jamming out and singing along with Pop and Bowie when you listen to it. And I don't think that its even remotely one of those "acquired taste" albums, you know, one of those albums which take multiple listenings to enjoy it. . . in my case, at least, it got me rocking out on the first spin. My first listen to it was while driving around with friends after a very long and Dionysian-tinged night out clubbing (yes, we had a designated driver to cart our inebriated tushies around, so we were "playing it safe!. . . unlike our Iggy here, who claims that he "never knew how to play it safe," in the song entitled "Play it Safe." Oh yeah, that, and he also proclaims that he "wants to be a criminal!"). Regardless, we drove home rocking out to this album, especially to tracks like "Loco Mosquito," "Knocking Them Down in the City," "I Snub You," and "I'm a Conservative" (how very tongue-in-cheek of Iggy, n'est pas?!). This song is one of the stand-outs on "Soldier," with pounding guitars and (there's that word again) an infectious chorus. This is one of those rare rock albums out there which has no pretences to grandeur, yet still possesses it. . . Iggy doesn't take himself too seriously, or anything else for that matter, and his rare and perenially quirky character and perspective shine and even gleam, if you will. Some of the tracks remind me of Bowie's album "Alladin Sane" (especially the piano on "Mr. Dynamite"), but regardless of Bowie's participation, they have a flavor uniquely their own. All of the tracks get my adrenalin flowing, and please my picky rock and roll heart. Perhaps oddly, my favorite of all is the totally self-effacing, odd, and pathos-filled ballad "Low Life." A guaranteed party pleaser. . . just put it in your stereo, and join Iggy (and David) in their excess, depravity, wierdness, and last but not least, genius. Oh yes, and sing along, and "say ta ta ta ta ta ta. . .!"

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