Switch

Performer: INXS
Engineer: Paul Stanbotough; Richard Flack
Producer: Guy Chambers; Richard Flack; Guy Chambers
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. INXS: Jon Farriss, Kirk Pengilly, Andrew Farriss, Tim Farriss, J.D. Fortune, Gary Beers. Personnel: Suzie McNeil (vocals, background vocals); Guy Chambers (guitar, keyboards); Paul Stanborough (guitar); Dan Higgins (flute, tenor saxophone); Wayne Bergeron (trumpet, flugelhorn); Andrew Martin (trombone); Paul Mirkovich (piano, background vocals); Richard Flack (programming); Deanna Johnston, Anne Lewis, Lisbeth Scott (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Richard Flack; Serban Ghenea; Tim Palmer. Recording information: Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA (2006). Photographers: Scott Duncan; Sheryl Nields. INXS seemed to be finished as an entity after the death of lead singer Michael Hutchence in 1997. Yet in a rather bizarre commercial move, the band signed on to a reality-TV show based on the idea of finding a new lead singer. They came away with J.D. Fortune, a Canadian who at one time made his living as an Elvis impersonator. Surprisingly enough, though, Fortune is a good fit for the band, with a pouty, sultry croon that recalls--not coincidentally--Hutchence. The appropriately titled SWITCH finds INXS in full working order once again. Though a good many years past their late-'80s glory days, 2005's SWITCH certainly has the classic INXS sound, and their appealing mix of rock muscle, seductive swagger, and dancefloor grooves holds up quite well. The album's first single, "Pretty Vegas," is a driving rocker that recalls vintage hits like "Devil Inside," while moody ballads like "Afterglow" find the band in U2-like stadium-rock mode. After conquering a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, these Australian lads have put themselves back on the map with this solid effort.

Like many groups that achieved mainstream success in the 1980s, Australia's INXS was kinetically inspired by the British punk scene. Led by charismatic singer Michael Hutchence and the musically gifted Farriss brothers, INXS began as a new-wave rock band, but by the mid-'80s they hit on a global level with an accessible, streamlined dance-rock sound. For most people, the band's saga ended with Hutchence's tragic suicide in 1997. In 2005, however, the band went in search of a new lead singer via the AMERICAN IDOL-style reality-TV series ROCKSTAR, eventually choosing Canadian J.D. Fortune. The revamped INXS released SWITCH in 2005 and toured the world in support of it that same year.

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