Todd Rundgren

'Liars' is the 18th solo album release from singer/songwriter/music producer and multi-media genius Todd Rundgren, his first album of all new material in over 10 years.

Our chief editor Marco seems to have a penchant of passing the artists of the older generations to yours truly, probably as I have done more time on this planet than anyone else on the team (though a few seem to be from another planet, “hi Rob”).

Anyway, Todd meanwhile has spent a lot of time challenging, moulding and influencing the music world especially with his musical collaborations and productions like the epic 'Bat out of hell' by Meatloaf for example. So what has he to offer us in this particularly top-notch period of contemporary music.

Well Rundgren certainly wanted to work these songs around a keyboard/drum machine sound resulting in a rather retro 70/80's feel with various superimposed grooves ranging from soul to hip-hop to quasi theatrical ensembles. Lyrically he is no generational poet that's for sure but an underlying hint of a failed, deluded even disturbed American society in his text suggests thought and attention has gone into this work.

Todd still sounds like a cross between Daryl Hall and Gino Vannelli, that good old 'white boy' soul sound which I find works magically in the tender, rich songs like 'soul brother', 'past', 'flow' and 'sweet'. This man knows melody and how to use it as in the vocal phrasing of 'past' or the “lyin'motherfucker” refrain of 'flow'. It always amazes me how the body can wither but the voice can still be as pure as in days of youth such that Neil Young can still sing like an angel and artists like Todd can continue to do themselves justice.

With so much skill in assembling records, it's no surprise that Rundgren manages to weave each song into the next effortlessly with this theme of a pleasant layered orchestral effect. However some songs are rather embarrassing in style and content like 'happy anniversary' which tongue in cheek it may be, but it sounds like a song from an old Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical.

Tracks like 'stood up' and 'mammon' lack subtlety and are just too abstract to be enjoyable. Songs like 'truth', 'future' and especially 'wandering' with their easy hip-hop backing beats and layered keyboard overtones will no doubt be sampled by dj's for years to come I'm sure, which is a testament to the work, skill and vision of Rundgren and that he's still as the latter title suggests wandering in the musical wilderness, pushing forward into the future.

It's taken 10 years to get this collection of new songs together, so heart and soul were behind the concept of 'Liars' no doubt there. It's a good effort for sure bound to do well in the American market and with selected tracks, the club circles of the UK.

There's still some magic tricks up this old wizard's sleeve and after 35 years on the circuit that's a worthy acheivment.

To hear selected track, click below:

Track 3 Happy Anniversary.
Track 5 Stood Up.
Track 4 Soul Brother.
Track 8 Past.
Track 9 Wondering.
Track 12 Living.