Jim Kerr - lostboy A.K.A Jim Kerr Album Review

Patsy Kensit's former squeeze gets all nostalgic for his previously cerebrally challenged 80's heyday and goes into the antique reproduction market. Jim Kerr, a.k.a Lost Boy! (Not aware that he had the name pre album inception, or whether he is trying to feed off (!?) the modern worlds seemingly insatiable appetite for all things vampire related) decides not to chase financial incentives down the reunion road, like so many before him, to release his first solo album. Oh dear!

If he'd Promised You A Miracle you'll be sorely disappointed because Lost Boy is definitely no Glittering Prize. Jim has left it a tad too late to launch a solo career. Still anchor man to one of the planets former top rock bands, Simple Minds, Jim Kerr was once in exalted company, filling stadiums on both sides of the pond and vying for Worlds Best Band kudos with the likes of U2. Still recording with a newly revised line-up to the band, their last offering being 2009's Graffiti Soul, James has decided to let his inner niggles of solo stardom take flight. Once Upon A Time it may have been a solid idea but unfortunately Lost Boy fails to Sparkle In The Rain and instead delivers Glaswegian drizzle. Not that any of this probably matters because to a Simple Minds fan who has failed to See The Lights the album will come as the realisation of a long, long awaited dream (New and Gold obviously) With 40 Million album sales in the bag, JK, is eager to show that he is very much Alive And Kicking.

The Sicilian Hotelier sticks pretty much to familiar territory going for overblown anthemic, stadium rock by numbers on a grand, and frankly preposterous, scale. Still living in the 80's and drawing on his bands influence as well as that of INXS, Killing Joke and Sisters Of Mercy, Jim fails to bring anything new to the table. Even happy to nick a few bars of 'In The Name Of Love' from his old foes, U2, in the intro to 'The Wait'. The content has not really moved forward either with talk of wastelands, back woods, falling skies, shadows and cataclysms set within songs titles equally dated, 'She Fell In Love With Silence', 'Refugee', 'Remember Asia' and 'Bullet Proof Heart' among them.

Lyrically you'd think Jim had enough experience behind him, as well as plenty of time, to conjure up some marvels, but it would appear not. From 'Shadowland' we get "Some people play the wild card, Some play the game. Once you surrender, there's no turning back again." Top of the "should have been shredded pile' however has to go to this choice lyric from 'Refugee'................."When your roof starts falling, there is no place to crawl in."

It's Life Jim, but not as we (now) know it.

Andrew Lockwood