The Secret Agent Review...
1. Tonight (5:16)
2. Swallowing (4:29)
3. Both Alone (3:56)
4. That's Where My Heart Used To Be (4:34)
5. The Girl I Want To Be (4:52)
6. Secret Agent (4:16)
7. Little Cloud (5:20)
8. Dancing on Charcoal (4:15)
9. Fuel Injection (4:19)
10. Bully (5:51)
11. Move On (4:38)
12. Mother (5:12)
Having now listened to the album on numerous occasions I can now give the following comments. The album is brilliant ! Need I say more ?
I suspected when I saw Judie at Ronnie Scott's, when she previewed some of the album's tracks, that this was going to be an excellent album. I wasn't to be disappointed. As you will see from the scores below the album has rated high and, unlike most albums in my collection, has spurned a definite favourite track in 'Dancing on Charcoal'. Judie has certainly got what it takes to hit the charts again, something that single-wise she hasn't done since 1979, but it needs some real backing. If anyone out there has the contacts please let them hear this album !
The album again, like most of Judie's albums, has a good mix of ballads, soft rock and the occasional heavier tracks - watch out for the 'Bad Attitude' vocals on 'Bully'.... scary !
I still reach for the more 'pop' orientated 'The Cat is Out' and drool over the fantastic 'Turning Stones' but 'Secret Agent' is definitely going to remain a favourite, not far from the CD Player. I just hope that enough sales are generated from this album to convince Judie that what she is producing is excellent but unfortunately just not meeting the wider audience. There are lots of Judie Fans out there who don't realise that Judie still produces such fine works. The albums are only available on the net, the reviews are one liners hidden in the covers of ageing magazines and the tours are poorly promoted - none of which is Judie's fault. Recently in an attempt to get more 'bums on seats' at the concerts, I asked numerous people and was surprised to find two Judie Fans, one who is described as a fanatic, who were totally oblivious to the fact that Judie was still around !
It brings the obvious question - How can someone producing such beautiful music, someone who used to pack out major concert venues, go almost totally un-noticed !
The album is fantastic!
The opening track on the album is called 'Tonight' - it's a beautiful track and an ideal concert opener ! From the very start of the music you can feel a certain warmth coming from the speakers, or headphones - if like me you're on a train, that continues throughout the track, and indeed the album. This song should be a single ! 9/10
'Swallowing' is another good track, not as up tempo as 'Tonight' but still brings a lump to the throat ! :-) 8/10
'Both Alone' has already had rave reviews from Judie Tzuke Fans, especially those on the 'Secret Agent E-Mailing List'. It's an excellent ballad but my preference for slightly faster music, which still doesn't explain 'For You' being one of my all time favourites, makes this score slightly less than the song possibly warrants. This song is destined for greater things which is possibly why it was included on the promotional 'Two Mountains' EP. 8/10
'That's Where My Heart Used To Be' is another great track - I just hope some big star like Cher doesn't hear the 'voicebox' lyrics and tries to copy it ! :-) It's another slow one but competes quite nicely with 'Both Alone' - the solo on the *stylophone really helps to keep the score at a respectable 8/10.
'Girl I Want To Be' is another bubbly track which is bound to get the feet tapping ! The subtle guitar in the background and Judie's excellent vocal skills make this song a definite winner - if it wasn't for the simple fact that it's scored less than several other tracks on the album ! :-) 9/10
'Secret Agent' - WOW - a beautiful track with powerful lyrics ! It has enough changes of mood/tempo to warrant top marks and it's easy to see why it should be the title track for the album... you can almost hear the hurt in Judie's voice. 10/10
'Little Cloud' - another good track. It's just a shame that with so many excellent tracks on the album that some of the songs need to score less than others. This track has that slight African feel in the background. Again the subtle guitars and vocals keep the song deep in your imagination. 8/10
'Dancing on Charcoal' - 12/10 !!!!! What can I say ? I LOVE THIS TRACK !!! BEAUTIFUL ! 10/10 didn't seem high enough - the extra 2 points are for the beautiful backing vocals by Bailey Tzuke ! The song carries forward a similar African Beat to 'Little Cloud' but has that certain something that just makes this track jump off the album and kick you between the eyes ! Definitely better than excellent and worth buying the CD just for this track ! 10/10 or 12/10 for Bailey ! Oh and Yes I know it's a ballad ! ;-)
'Take a Step' is nice to listen to - but not one of the best on the album..... but then I wonder if it's because it's overshadowed by the previous track ? 7/10
'Bully' is definitely a 'live' track - even if just to get the chant going ! It sounds good on the album but sounds a lot better live but then so do a lot of Judie's songs ! You need to hear this track live to fully appreciate it. Again the track is filled with 'hard hitting' lyrics and the 'Bad Attitude' vocals really help the song along. My only complaint is that the excellent guitar solo seems to be cut off in it's prime and would have been better if slightly longer.... we're not looking for 'Child in Time' here but a slightly longer solo would have been nice. Definitely the 'rockiest' track on the album and thoroughly deserving 9/10. (10/10 for the live version)
'Move On' has another nice beat and is yet again another beautiful track but possibly suffers the same fate as 'Take a Step'. 7/10
'Mother' is nice, a good track which is nicely sung - even though I prefer Judie singing slightly more 'up beat'. The end of the song has beautiful backing music while Judie continues to chant 'Mother' over the top, I can't help thinking that it might have been better to have had the music more pronounced and possibly drop some of the vocals ? This possibly spoiled the song a bit for me although it possibly deserves more than 7/10.
So in total the album has scored 100/120, or 103/120 if you forgive me for being insane ! If you haven't already got your copy - BUY IT NOW !
I don't know what else I can possibly say to convince you.... but if you are still dubious then visit Mick Danby and listen to some snippets ! You won't get the full flavour but the taste should be enough !
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