Robert Palmer Albums (17)
'Legend: Live on Stage'
Release Date 9/27/2005
Tracks 17
Label Music Club International
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
For lack of a better word, Drive might be termed Robert Palmer's blues album. Some of the songs are in the strict blues form, and the approach to the arrangements tends toward spare, acoustic elements. In his liner notes, Palmer cites as inspirations an invitation to participate in a Robert Johnson tribute album and the offer to provide the soundtrack to a film set in the deep South in the 1940s and '50s. But, of course, it's not that simple. Spare the arrangements may be, but they are also precise, especially in terms of the rhythms, in a way their models never were. Palmer is a stickler for grooves, and these tracks are carefully edited so that you never really imagine you're in a juke joint. The material ranges from J.B. Lenoir's "Mama Talk to Your Daughter" and Little Willie John's "I Need Your Love So Bad" to more recent fare such as ZZ Top's "TV Dinners" and neo-bluesman Keb' Mo's "Am I Wrong?" Palmer's throaty voice and his urgent delivery are well-suited to the songs, and his usual taste for the Caribbean lightens things up just when the collection is beginning to seem harsh. The version of "Hound Dog," not surprisingly, owes more to Big Mama Thornton than it does to Elvis Presley (Palmer gets the lyrics right, which Presley never did). This is the blues filtered through a highly sophisticated sensibility, and thus rendered as an artifact, however fervently Palmer sings. But then, that filter is what he's been applying to indigenous musical genres for his entire career, and there is much here to remind listeners of his fondly remembered early albums. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Robert Palmer concluded six months of touring (most of it in North America, with one month in Japan) in 2000 with the December 15 date at Harlem's famed Apollo Theatre recorded for this album. Fronting a six-piece band and accompanied by backup singer B.J. Nelson, he performed a set heavy on his hit material from the second half of the 1980s - starting with the Power Station's "Some Like It Hot" and including his own most popular songs "Addicted to Love," "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On," and "Simply Irresistible." Anyone hoping for earlier tunes had to be satisfied with three items from 1980's Clues, the near-title track "Looking for Clues," "Woke Up Laughing," and the influential "Johnny & Mary," which, Palmer said, "was a big hit for me in Guatemala, believe it or not." Otherwise, the non-single selections mostly came from the million-sellers Riptide (1985) and Heavy Nova (1988), with nothing at all from less-popular later albums Don't Explain (1990), Ridin' High (1992), and Honey (1994). In other words, this was a set that took no risks, and the efficient band played it in an equally risk-free manner. The large fan base Palmer had picked up in the mid-1980s had reason to be satisfied, but anyone who had known the singer during his earlier, more exploratory period, or after he had returned to trying different things in the '90s, would be disappointed. At this point in his career, having left major-label status behind some years back, Palmer seemed to be playing to his commercial strengths on this tour, but, like the music that gave him his biggest hits, the results could be bloodless and mechanical. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Rhythm & Blues'
Release Date 4/12/1999
Tracks 12
Label Eagle Rock Entertain
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What The Critics Say
After stumbling through a Power Station reunion, Robert Palmer signed with Rhino's original music label, Pyramid, and delivered his first studio album in five years with Rhythm & Blues. Depending on your viewpoint, the title suggests the music of Jackie Wilson, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, or Maxwell. Any way you look at it, Rhythm & Blues doesn't sound like any kind of "rhythm & blues," no matter how "soulful" Palmer sings. This is slick adult contemporary pop, with slight urban soul flourishes, yet those have all been smoothed out, so the end result sounds somewhat homogenous. The most frustrating thing is that Palmer is not only capable of better music than this -- he has made albums in this style that were considerably more successful. Palmer still has vocal chops and he sounds terrific throughout the album, but the production is so clean and careful (and disarmingly synthesized, sounding for all the world like it was recorded in the late '80s) that almost none of the songs catch hold. The one that does is the closer, Lowell George's "Twenty Million Things," which has a stripped-down arrangement at odds with the rest of the album. It's simple, direct and provides a great showcase for Palmer -- and it illustrates that he can still be very effective when given the right tunes and proper production. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Secrets was recorded entirely in New Providence, Bahamas, and an island influence is apparent on a number of its songs. But for the most part, the album features some of Robert Palmer's funkier stabs at R&B and soul ballads. The addictive "What's It Take" gives the clearest sense of a tropical recording setting, and its juju mix of a pop beat and Caribbean rhythms brings a smile with each new listen; Palmer was apt to call it the most fun song he'd penned. The song's theme of marital/relationship troubles crops up in almost every track on Secrets, but such repetition never becomes grating thanks to Palmer's eclectic musical heart. One can hardly imagine the aforementioned tropical "What's It Take" sitting easily with an earnest cover of Todd Rundgren's "Can We Still Be Friends?" and a passionate, scuzzy take on "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)," but of course Palmer manages to mix genres and tempos with his trademark flair. These three songs are among the highlights of the album, but Palmer treads similar ground through the remaining songs, and expert sequencing along with Palmer's subtle and clean production make for a cohesive whole. "Mean Old World" is a beautiful sleeper of a song, where Palmer nearly defines the blue-eyed soul genre. The song's uplifting tones and Palmer's gentle voice together make for a track reminiscent of Nina Simone's version of "O-o-h Child." "Jealous" sees Palmer rocking out with endearingly edgy punk-inspired guitars. Palmer is as suave singing about paranoia and jealousy as he is about love, which makes the album a breezy delight from start to finish. Secrets might not be essential like its successor, Clues, but its accessible nature, fine execution, and honesty mark it as another fine moment in Robert Palmer's recording career. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Robert Palmer's second EMI album, which turned out to be a sales disappointment, seems to combine two different musical concepts in its 18 tracks. The first is a straightforward, rhythm-heavy Robert Palmer rock album that takes up about the first half of the record. The second is a soundtrack for a planned musical that a Palmer bio describes as "a futuristic comedy using telling songs from the '40s to the present day," some produced by jazzman Teo Macero. These include songs like Bob Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" (done reggae style), Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me" and "I Want You," and Rodgers & Hammerstein's "People Will Say We're in Love." The idea looks forward to Palmer's next album, Ridin' High, which is comprised entirely of standards, but the mixture of rhythm tracks and string-filled arrangements here makes for a confusing mixture. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Robert Palmer cloned his hard rock Riptide style for its follow-up, his debut album on EMI, and was rewarded with the number two hit "Simply Irresistible," even if the formula was beginning to sound thin. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
