Flesh + Blood

An even slicker record than «Manifesto», «Flesh & Blood» precariously balances between alluringly seductive, sophisticated soul-pop and cloying, radio-ready disco-pop. At its best, the album is effortlessly suave and charming — «Over You» is one of their greatest singles, and «Oh Yeah» is nearly as persuasive — but much of the record is devoted to ill-formed, stylish lounge-pop. In particular, the reliance on reworked covers of «In the Midnight Hour» and «Eight Miles High» is distressing, not only because it signals a lack of imagination, but also because it suggests that «Flesh & Blood» is simply a lesser solo effort from Bryan Ferry. And even the handful of undeniably strong moments can't erase the feeling that Roxy Music was beginning to run out of ideas. — Stephen Thomas Erlewine.