For
all his well documented problems
Robert Downey Jr as always come
across as an intriguing
character and intelligent fellow
however it comes as a surprise
to discover his hidden talents
as a vocalist and piano player
of warm, mellow charm. The ten
tracks on the futurist, 8 of
them written or co-written by
Downey, lie somewhere between
peak period Billy Joel (albeit
slightly heavier in feel) and
the confessional tones of Sting.
Mostly
piano or subtle guitar led the
songs on the Futurist are the
kind that hook into you after a
few listens rather than being
immediate grabbers, lyrically
honest but sometimes un-cohesive
Downey's chief strength is his
been around the block voice,
bluesy but at the same time
understated. Two of the songs
are covers, one a take on
Charlie Chaplin's Smile seems
somewhat out of place but the
duet
with
Jon Anderson on the Yes song Your Move is pure class and
easily one of the stand outs on the album, Downey Jr definitely shows plenty
of potential on his debut here and hopefully he has more material in the
pipeline. Certainly well worth looking out for and Downey proves that it's
not just Russell Crowe who has the field to himself as actors who are
serious musicians.
