DAVID BYRNE : UH-OH

1. Now I'm Your Mom
2. Girls On My Mind
3. Something Ain't Right
4. She's Mad
5. Hanging Upside Down
6. A Walk In The Dark
7. Twistin' In The Wind
8. The Cowboy Mambo (Hey Lookit Me Now)
9. Monkey Man
10. A Million Miles Away
11. Tiny Town
12. Somebody

Label : Luaka Bop

Release Date : March 1992

Length : 52:50

Review (AllMusic) : Uh-Oh was only David Byrne's second pop-oriented solo album and his first to be released after the formal end of Talking Heads. Though informed by his various investigations into world music, the album was a natural successor to the Talking Heads records, relying on involved percussion tracks topped by Byrne's quirky singing and lyrics. By this point, disaffected fans may have grown accustomed to the idea that a David Byrne solo album could contain anything from an extended flirtation with Latin styles (Rei Momo) to an eclectic instrumental score (The Forest), to name only his most recent solo projects. Maybe Byrne and his record label failed to get out the message that he was back to making Heads-style pop/rock (he didn't organize a tour until the album had come and gone on the charts), but Uh-Oh never reached its potential audience. Talking Heads fans should give it a listen.

Review (ProgArchives) : With Uh-Oh, David Byrne returned to the alternative rock style that he has been known for since his albums with Talking Heads, after doing anything but that since the late '80s! Of course calling it a complete comeback to his past would be a lie on my part since David Byrne was much too experienced to just do a straightforward rock album again. This material is comprised of bits and pieces from previous projects like My Life in the Bush of Ghosts and Rei Momo mixed together with simpler song-structures and a much lighter atmosphere all around. Whether this is a good thing or not depends entirely on your expectations and since I already had seen the music video for She's Mad I knew pretty much what I was getting into with Uh-Oh. After being disappointed with Rei Momo, this followup became a bit more successful with me even if I can't call this music even remotely progressive. The melodies are, for most part, memorable and the arrangements aren't as annoyingly obvious as they were on Rei Momo. Personally, I would have enjoyed some of these moments more if the arrangements would have dropped some of the Worldbeat style, but I'm sure that others would find more pleasure in this approach. Unfortunately the songwriting is still lacking but this doesn't become obvious until we progress further into the album, even if some of the lyrical themes early on might give that indication. Was Uh-Oh the comeback album I expected from David Byrne? Yes, but remember that I had low expectations after being displeased with Rei Momo. This is basically a good album if you want to listen to some pop music with a slight arty twist to it. Expecting anything more than that will definitely bring about a disappointment.