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Sound Bites: New audio reviews

Associated Press
ASSOCIATED PRESS
6/3/2003 09:39 pm

“Terence Trent D’Arby’s Wildcard! - The Jokers' Edition— Terence Trent D’Arby/Sananda Maitreya

Where has Terence Trent D’Arby been for the last decade or so? Well, the short answer is — getting stranger and stranger. The now 40-year-old D’Arby has recently changed his name to Sananda Maitreya — a moniker he claims came to him in a dream, but also happens to be the Buddhist names for Jesus Christ and messiah.

Egomania is nothing new for D’Arby/Maitreya (he uses both names). When he burst onto the pop scene in 1987, he declared his Grammy-nominated debut “Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D’Arby” better than the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper.” However, D’Arby, whose style drew comparisons to Prince and Michael Jackson, hardly the staying power of the Beatles, and faded into obscurity after his follow-up flopped.

But once you cut through all the layers of self-promotion and controversy, what emerges on “Wildcard!” with arresting clarity is a multitalented performer, composer and arranger who, with his rich soaring tenor, somersaults through some of the most beautifully lush pop material he has ever created.

D’Arby’s/Maitreya's vocal acrobatics on tracks like “My Dark Places” and “The Inner Scream” are enough to give a listener goosebumps. And the instrumentation is just as exciting as the vocal work — guitars both funky and hard rocking, bright horn arrangements and sophisticated, clever melodies.

This is an original artist whose strong work demands a listen.

Jim Collins, AP Writer