Clues: NME's Original Album Review

Why Clues? I mean to say, Robert old chap, it's not as if there's some burning question to all this despite the wacky covershot of your hunky physique knee-deep in some oceanic expanse with the old brows deep furrowed in thought as the handy cassette player pipes through some suitable 'modern world' new music. It all amounts to another album, another band-wagon to strap onto and little more.

Palmer's whole career has been an exercise in minor-league talent with heart-throb looks. With a fair set of pipes and a penchant for blue-eyed soul croon-ups, he sprung forth first aided and abetted by Lowell George and the rest of Little Feat, and stuck to his formula, chucking in dollops of reaggae or salsa here and there for some three or four albums, whilst 'the image' was projected through cover designs always utilizing some statuesque 'femme fatale'.

Palmer "knee-deep in some oceanic expanse with brows deep furrowed in thought"

Palmer went on to dig around the suitably 'accessible' New Wave numbers to pedal and was last heard performing Chrissie Hynde's Kid amongst other tunes for what one presumed would be just another rich man's Linda Ronstadt affair.

Sharp-eared as ever, though, Palmer has now turned for inspiration to Talking Heads' Fear Of Music, Bowie's Heroes and the like, going all out for the massed swarm of synthesizers, automaton funk rhythms and echoey discorporated vocal slant.

In his search for a collaborator, Palmer - presumably finding David Bowie or Brian Eno unavailable - has plumped for (don't laugh) Gary Numan. The splendour that is Gazza can be heard straining and soaring against the entire dark ages of aural piffle only on Side 2 of the record which allows the first side of Clues to showcase the new sound of Palmer virtually on his tod.

Surprisingly, three out of his four cuts are very good indeed. Looking For Clues parries a natty variant on the one great funk bass riff punched out at a spry domineering pace whilst guitar slice out clean fizzy riffs. What Do You Care bears a strong kinship to the dynamics and orchestration of Elvis' Pump It Up without a hint of plagarism to bind the song down from delivering its ultra-danceable clout. Best of all, Johnny And Mary - Palmer's current single - boasts an unshakably naggingly haunting melody-line, great lyrics and a superb production that deftly juxtaposes a drum machine, bass synth, metronome, great splashes of fair-ground organ and jangly guitars to spectacular effect.

All three are first-rate dance numbers and it's a pity that the sole blemish on the side has to be such a hoary old piece of rope as Sulky Girl wherein Palmer temporarily debunks the funk in favour of surrogate Stones pump-house pomp.

Side 2 highlights Palmer's adventures in the aural metropolis that is 'the sound of Gazza'. In fact, Robert being a considerate chap actually performs one of Numan's songs. I mean, who else could possibly write a song entitled I Dream Of Wires! A ponderous piece of nonsense with Palmer cast as 'the last electrician', I'll go for Witchita Lineman anyday.

The grand finale is a Palmer/Numan collaboration - Found You Now - which marries the former's reggae stamp and lyrics to Numan's eastern modal figures played on the trusty synth and not a mite reminiscent of Bowie's Secret Life Of Arabia. Its attempt at sounding hypnotic tends to make it seem more ponderous than anything else though the track just about holds up owing to the strength of Palmer's vocal.

So let's ditch the cynicism here and now. Clues, with a cool 50% of strong numbers, has the strength to suggest that, the spectre of 'Gazza' notwithstanding, Robert Palmer may finally be in the right place at the right time.

Nick Kent (New Musical Express - September 1980)