THE SINGER, IN THE ALLEY, WITH A GOOD SET OF PIPES

ROBERT PALMER Clues

(Island)

Terri A. Huggins

Robert Palmer is starting to live up to the potential of his first album. The fact that we’ve had to wait through six years and four bad records for him to renew the promise is excusable; Clues is better late than never.

Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley was a close-to-wonderful debut, with Palmer freely mixing traditional r&b, reggae and Lowell George while exhibiting a distinctive and exhilirating vocal style (okay, let’s be frank—the fact that he is outrageously good-looking didn’t hurt). But in the follow-ups Palmer never managed to provide a focus for his widely divergent material, and ultimately threatened to deteriorate into a soul poseur. There is nothing inherently wrong with white people being un-funky, and even trying too hard can have its charm. Condescension is as offensive as being asked to suck a jar of Miracle Whip through a marzipan-coated straw. Flashy clothes and suggestive album covers do not a Teddy Pendergrass make...or a Bryan Ferry for that matter.