Rio

The four original members of Duran Duran - John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon - have announced today the global release of their 13th studio album, entitled ALL YOU NEED IS NOW. Produced by the Grammy Award-winning Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Adele, Kaiser Chiefs, Lily Allen) and mixed by Spike Stent (Madonna, Björk, No Doubt), the record is a return-to-roots homage

In the decade of decadence, Duran Duran knew how to live the life. It was reflected in their videos (sailboats, silly white hats, tropical surroundings, grease-painted feral women) and garishly displayed in their public lifestyles. But if you can remove these connotations from the album that started it all, you'll be left with music that is anything but gaudy. For the most part, Rio is an eerie and sumptuous record. With their raspy, arpeggio synth sounds and Simon Le Bon's uninflected vocals, the misty ballads "Lonely in Your Nightmare" and "Save a Prayer" can still tear your heart right out of your chest and abandon it bleeding on a rain-soaked cobblestone street. With the dance-oriented singles "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf," you dry out a bit, but the songs are far from airy or whimsical. One anomaly in this release, though, is the inappropriate prominence of John Taylor's bass lines. In every song, it sounds as if he is mixed more in expectation of a solo than as an integral part of the rhythm section. Ignore this technical distraction, however, and you'll enjoy rediscovering this gorgeous body of water-colored synthpop. --Beth Bessmer