Published on Mar 15, 2006
After his father (jazz great Don Cherry) and sister
(Neneh Cherry) hit it big, it was only a matter of time before
Eagle-Eye cut a record. And yes, that is his real name, derived
from how he looked at his father when he was born.
Desireless, Cherry’s first of two albums, is a
holdover from the alternative boom of the mid-90’s, when grunge had
run its course. Cherry fits comfortably alongside Hootie, Train and
Matchbox 20, but aside from the hit single “Save Tonight,” nothing
on here really stands out.
In fact, Cherry sounds just like so many male
singer/songwriters of the last 10 years — sensitive males who sing
about relationships against mid-tempo acoustic guitars. The
difference is that Cherry never sounds as contrived as his
contemporaries sometimes do (how could “Your Body Is A Wonderland”
not be a hit?), and his voice and music have a bit more soul than
one would expect.
There are times he breaks the mold, and the results
are entertaining. “Worried Eyes” brings in backup female singers
and sets the words against a country-tinged beat occasionally
punctuated by a slide guitar and strings. “Rainbow Wings” uses
reggae influences instead of normal percussion and “Conversation”
has a slight 70s pop feel that keeps it interesting.
And the closing title track mixes jazz and
African-type vocals in what must be a tribute to Cherry’s late
father. No singing here, or acoustic guitars, just an atmospheric
nightclub or upscale coffeeshop feel, and it closes the album on a
melancholy note.
But the test of an album is if it can keep one’s
attention or distract them from whatever they are doing. The
urgency of “Save Tonight” is able to do this, but the rest of the
album falters. It’s not that Cherry isn’t talented — indeed, he
has a good voice, and is able to write songs. It’s just that the
album as a whole fails to catch fire and rise above standard
singer/songwriter fare.