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Barnes and Noble

Pleasure, Joy and Happiness

Current price: $33.49
Pleasure, Joy and Happiness
Pleasure, Joy and Happiness

Barnes and Noble

Pleasure, Joy and Happiness

Current price: $33.49
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It's mystifying that this half-hour recording of modest and intimate ballads is the first true solo album from . While he is known most for his and 's pop-soul confection "Would I Lie to You?," a global smash in 1992, the singer/songwriter's career is filled with too many twists, obstacles, and turns -- including shelved albums for major-label and, no kidding, 's -- to be neatly encapsulated in a listicle about one-hit wonders. Involved with music since the mid-'70s, he left the business in the early 2000s, returned in the late 2000s as one-half of the whimsical (with wife ), and after another long retreat got the urge to make music again. Through a mutual friend, was introduced to , an unstinting collaborator -- primarily a keyboardist and composer -- who counts , , and among the dozens of artists who have sought out his talent. 's percolating machine rhythms and gently rippling keyboards, always sounding as if they're on a serene kind of quest, are wholly in sync with , whose sweet, soul-steeped voice has acquired some ruggedness that suits his sparing words of wisdom, reflection, and heartache. Taken at face value, is somewhat deceptive as a title, since it's revealed to be more an objective than it is emblematic of the album. Most often about some form of romantic grief -- regret, betrayal, uncertainty, miscommunication, and resulting crisis -- the tracks flit between fragmentary musings and more traditionally structured songs. is effective with both approaches. In "Wicked World," he simply repeats "Loved you, it was wrong/It's a wicked world, can't control it," recalling at his most vulnerable. That repetitious tracing is just as powerful as the comparatively voluble "Hurt," where memories and revelations spill out like a slow-motion catharsis. This could be a perfect final act, an unexpected one-off that sounds out of time and in a space of its own, but then it would be a shame if and didn't continue their affiliation. ~ Andy Kellman

More About Barnes and Noble at MarketFair Shoppes

Barnes & Noble does business -- big business -- by the book. As the #1 bookseller in the US, it operates about 720 Barnes & Noble superstores (selling books, music, movies, and gifts) throughout all 50 US states and Washington, DC. The stores are typically 10,000 to 60,000 sq. ft. and stock between 60,000 and 200,000 book titles. Many of its locations contain Starbucks cafes, as well as music departments that carry more than 30,000 titles.

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