Walking in London' is Concrete Blonde's follow-up to Bloodletting, a 1990 offering that yielded a gold record. It is a daring departure, different in scope and sound from its precursor. The reason is that Walking in London is essentially Johnette Napolitano's record; the singer-bassist wrote all but one of its ten songs, a cover of James Brown's "It's a Man's World." As a singer, Napolitano has a voice that embodies both the physicality and emotional intensity of a modern-day Janis Joplin. In large part, Walking in London succeeds because of that voice, which continues to grow stronger and cleaner – as does Napolitano's knack for writing great pop-rock hooks.

Haunting runs as a theme through Walking in London. "Ghost of a Texas Ladies' Man" opens the album with the story of a dead man who seduces the song's protagonist. James Mankey's guitar snarls and screeches, pushing the tune into overdrive before grinding it to a halt. On the slow, steamy title cut, Napolitano sings in a sinister moan: "I'm either going insane/Or I'm a human wire/Receiving a signal/Desire." Songs like "Les Coeurs Jumeaux" and "Why Don't You See Me" are beautiful ballads that invoke wanton memories. Atmospheric numbers like "City Screaming" reveal a longing for innocence – with acid-guitar washouts by Mankey. In "Someday?," a soul workout that echoes Ray Davies's "Stop Your Sobbing." Napolitano reflects: "But it's a place in time/When the years behind are piled up high/But never mind/It's time to crash and burn or fly." Only "I Wanna Be Your Friend Again" fails, because of a monotonous, heavily sampled rhythmic structure. The album closes with "It's a Man's World," which is sultry and seductive in its spare arrangement, full of a confused and exploding passion.

A mature, consistent statement, Walking in London deserves to further Concrete Blonde's reputation – and expand its audience. (RS 627)

THOM JUREK