Funky, synthetic, sexy, moody, soulful - "Changing Into Me" is the album that Tears for Fears should've released. Imagine if Tears for Fears had continued with the direction of "Woman In Chains," taking it further steps into danceable, rump-shaking territory.
Like Tears for Fears, Lemon is a duo - vocalist Roger Smith and guitarist/keyboardist/programmer Thor Madsen. Smith croons like Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye at their peak of their romantic strengths. This is no exaggeration: Smith is one of the best male voices in pop you will hear this year.
But this is no retro Motown experiment. Rather, Smith and Madsen take soul music into British New Wave-influenced arrangements, what ABC attempted to do in the late '80s. Smith and Madsen find greater success simply because they reign in the technology, not allowing keyboards to smother the hurt emotions in songs like "Already Over," "Has Anyone Seen My Baby?", "Don't Tell Me," and "Ain't Coming Back."
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When Smith and Madsen lock into a serious groove, such as on "Ain't Coming Back," they mean business, piling up one steel-toed hook after another. "Simpleminded" is vintage '80s synth-pop a la early Tears for Fears without the gloom, and the warmth of Smith's singing is complemented beautifully by Madsen's dreamy keyboard textures. Forget what poses for R&B on the radio. Lemon is the real deal.
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