Iggy Pop – Free – Album Review
by Killian Laher

Iggy Pop’s latest solo album sees him back away from the QOTSA-style rock of Post Pop Depression, moving towards more… reflective fare.  The title track which opens the album consists of little more than Iggy growling “I wanna be free” over less than two minutes of moody jazz.  The most conventional track here is Loves Missing, a low-key rocker with some decent guitar licks from Noveller.  He’s on playful form on the slinky James Bond, a sort of modernish updating of the old Jungle Book standard “I Wanna Be Like You”.  These two are probably the best entry points for the casual fan.

The heavy presence of brass on the album may prove polarising for some.  At its worst, it results in the shrieking mess of Dirty Sanchez.  Elsewhere, it serves to give the album a kind of ‘late-night’ feel, along the lines of his 1999 album Avenue B.  Later we get the pleading ballad Page and a couple of strange poetry recitals (!) – Lou Reed’s We Are The People and Dylan Thomas’ Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.  Fluctuating between interesting and downright odd, it’s not going to be many people’s favourite Iggy Pop album, and it definitely isn’t representative of his musical output.

Track List –

1. Free
2. Loves Missing
3. Sonali
4. James Bond
5. Dirty Sanchez
6. Glow In The Dark
7. Page
8. We Are People
9. Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
10. The Dawn

James Bond: