bartzone's Full Review: The Futurist [Slipcase] by Robert Downey Jr.
The Futurist
SUE'S PRE-RAMBLE
I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Robert Downey, Jr. I’m not sure if it’s the appeal of a broken man who looks as gorgeous as he does, the roles he’s portrayed on screen, his family theatre history, or some combination thereof. I have to give props to a guy who keeps falling and each time, he battles back up. When he did the talk show circuit last fall to showcase his album, I was intrigued. He usually only sang one cut of the album and it wasn’t horrible. It was definitely better than other theatre types who should focus on their acting (Loud cough—Lindsay Lohan). Anyway, I’d been curious about The Futurist so when I last ordered my featured selection at BMG, I took it as one of my free selections.
THE ARTIST
Robert Downey Jr. has led a very strange life. His father was an underground filmmaker who cast him in his first movie at the age of five and then gave him his first marijuana joint at age eight—two defining career moves. He’s been acting on a regular basis since he was 20 starting with a year at Saturday Night Live in 1975, and unfortunately has had a few run-ins with the legal system for his use of drugs (most regrettably in the middle of his contract for Ally McBeal where he played a smoking hot love interest for Ally).
Musically, he’s contributed three songs on an uncredited basis to three films – “Too Much Sun,” “Two Girls and a Guy,” and “Friends & Lovers.” He also sang in his television role on “Ally McBeal” (especially a duet with Sting) including on a soundtrack CD for the show, and more recently in his role in the movie, “The Singing Detective.” This may have emboldened him to expand his career options.
Another direction he went with this album was as a visual artist. He and his son Indio created the CD cover art as well as the artwork on the CD itself. It’s very brightly colored, abstract, and though part of it is a little primitive, it is less of an assault on the eyes than his voice is on the ears.
I don’t know if he’s just getting back on his feet or if the tour promoting his CD made an impact, but he seems to have resurrected his film career magnificently. According to www.IMDB.com, he has nine different film projects in the works for this year and next. I hope to God this is a real comeback and he stays on this path. I think he’s an incredible actor and wish him the best of luck.
MUSIC
Robert Downey Jr. wrote the lyrics and music (with help from Mark Hudson on “Broken” and “The Futurist”) for all of the tracks except for “Your Move” by Jon Anderson and “Smile” by one of his idols—Charlie Chaplin (whom he played in the movie, “Chaplin”) Downey’s voice could use some work. It has the rough, smoker’s edge like Joe Cocker, but it also seems very breathy and unsupported like so many untrained rock singers who just force the air from their throat instead of pushing it from below in their diaphragm. It’s not a voice that will last since it is so easy to damage the vocal cords by singing that way. He has a tortured, whiney quality on most of the pieces and when he should have the depth of feeling on “Smile,” his voice just can’t pull it off. Most of the songs are in the same narrow vocal range and don’t move out of that range more than a note or two. He does show an emotional range on ׃:30,” but it’s just anger. Where he does shine musically is on the piano and keyboards. He accompanies himself very adequately.
LYRICS
Thankfully, the lyrics for the songs he wrote are included in the CD booklet and I have to say that I like him better as a poet (reminiscent of Jewel or Tori Amos) than as a singer. The lyrics are very musical even if just spoken. They aren’t all straightforward and must have some meaning to him personally, but that’s okay. Some of them seem very cathartic for him. Hopefully this will release some of his demons for good. Maybe he should be a songwriter and let somebody with a voice sing them for him.
man like me
This is a depressing “I’m not worthy, but she loves me anyway” kind of ballad. Not sure I’d open a CD with this, but hey, it’s one of the better tracks so, I guess you go with what you have.
broken
Part two of “woe is me” and they kind of run together musically. This was the song he chose to showcase on the talk show circuit. It has enough contrition for us to sense he’s changing his life. It ends with a variation on the AA plea:
God grant me the strength to accept the
Things I can change and change then
Just for the last time.
Kimberly glides
Poetically, this is fun to listen to though the meaning is a little more obscure and seemingly about his own personal relationships.
the futurist
A paean to his lover with a lot of fun poetic turns, maybe some mystical meanings and a few words like fantasist that I actually looked up.
little clownz
This is another dreary piece about being tired and dying. Although the music is clearer and stretches him out of his comfort range into a true melody more than any of the others, the lyrics are entirely cloudy to me.
5:30
I loved the bass and percussion leading this song musically, and Downey actually uses different intensities with his voice.
your move
Jon Anderson joins him in singing this tune which he wrote, ultimately redeeming it. There’s more melody in his few phrases than Downey exhibits on the rest of the album.
Details
The music is back to the rough, throaty quality that grates on my nerves, but I like the lyrics in this song better than most:
How did I find you?
Did I remind you of the boy at the Louvre?
Watching you move
Behind oil
For five hundred years.
hanna
If I had to hazard a guess, this is a whiney song about the characters in drug rehab.
“There’s a dark problem today
’Nother black thought as our arms shuffle past
in the hallway”
smile
This song was written by Charlie Chaplin, whom Downey played in Richard Attenborrough’s biopic, “Chaplin” for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe and won a BAFTA and a London Film Critic Circle award. “Smile when your heart is breaking” may have been the philosophy of Chaplin, but it seems to be the polar opposite for Downey who cries when he’s got it good. He has a hard time carrying it off and it sounds sappy instead of bittersweet.
WHAT I LIKE
Even though Robert Downey Jr. will never become the next Josh Groban or Sting or Bob Dylan, he at least came to this project prepared to deliver his best. He had great musical back up and got professional musical help for a couple of tracks. He could have used some more vocal coaching to support his voice better, but at least he was on pitch. This will never be one of my favorite albums, but it is kind of growing on me and I probably won’t pitch it.
WHAT I DON'T LIKE
Everybody has to start somewhere. I just don’t have to listen to their initial efforts if they are weak or unpleasant, which I find whining to be. There isn’t a lot of power in negativity. Weird is okay and some of the songs have that in spades, and that’s easier to listen to than the boring, “woe is me” crap that he’s getting out of his system. Some of these songs shouldn’t have been foisted on the listening public.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
Robert Downey Jr. is a good poet, but he should let someone else sing his poems.
TRACKS
01. man like me
02. broken
03. Kimberly glides
04. the futurist
05. little clownz
06. 5:30
07. your move
08. details
09. hanna
10. smile
The Futurist
Robert Downey Jr. (for more info - www.robertdowneyjrmusic.com/
Copyright, 2004 Sony Classical
Slip-cased CD (with 12 page booklet that includes lyrics)
Total playing time: 42:53
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