POPPIN TUESDAYS: Rio - Duran Duran

 Here is my next painful admission: I also do not like Duran Duran from what I heard of them. My mother? Huge fan. She loves them, was in love with their singers, and I have definitely heard Hungry Like a Wolf more than a few times. I just have not been interested in what I have heard. Nevertheless, this will be my first time giving a full album a listen. 

Interesting enough, Rio was a more experimental work that was actually taken poorly on the initial release. The lyrics were not well beloved and the album was even considered "disposable pop". This is where I am always heavily amused by revisionist history. I am not going to automatically as soon as something hits it big change my mind. Today, Rio is considered a rather iconic body of work and their best album release. It is even considered an album on many lists that you have to hear it before you die. It did help lead a secondary 80s British invasion. Where's the one for the 2020s? I think we could use some British invasion about now... 

I'm just gonna be frank. "Rio" is a dumb song and it is good it is the opener because in my humble opinion it is the weakest track on the album. It does not feel like it lines up with anything. 

"My Own Way" at least improves where Rio was off musically, but it feels like the melody is very clunky. It actually sucks because it feels like 2 good songs exist here but not together.

Way too much distortion used on the vocals in "Lonely in Your Nightmare". It seems the album has good foundations and good ideas but they are being utilized in the wrong ways.

I have heard "Hungry Like a Wolf" almost my entire life somewhere, be it radio or at home. It has never grown on me. Although, thus far, it is actually one of the better songs on this album.

"Hold Back the Rain" is a little better but the guitar feels so out of place. It is pulling me out of the song. The lead vocalist sounds like he is straining. I'm struggling to see how this made an 80s British invasion. 

"New Religion" is the first song on this album I would actually call good. Production is unique, the layers work, and the music isn't taking away from the rest of the song. Going to be a little sad if the second half of the album is much better but the first portion was a mess. This always makes me feel a good album could have been done if it was left to bake longer.

"Last Chance on the Stairway" is improvement also but still a little clunky. I can see why the critics originally complained of the lyricism. Not so much because it isn't that great, but a lot of the lyrical choices make this album very clunky in performance. 

"Save a Prayer" is hands down the best song on this album. I don't know why I legitimately like this track but it just works. The sentiment is simple enough it is relatable, the music is almost "world" type music in nature. The melody works. It just came together.

The album closes with "The Chauffeur". It is kind of a unique closer for an album meant for pure joys that it is kind of hard to tell is this is a happy or sad closer. I suppose anyone could take their pick. 

LYRICS: 4/10 - Not the best songs lyrically and often the lyrics were very clunky and did not work together. Most songs do not make a whole lot of sense together or conceptually.

MUSIC: 5/10 - The music on its own is not inherently bad but it often did not work with the rest of the album, making it a bit of a struggle to appreciate it. 

OVERALL: 5/10 - This is actually more of a sophomore slump than a triumph. The album is clunky and disconnected. I do however see artistic potential living inside it. It just did not belong all together.