Released on his own indie label, "Wildcard!" presents a winning hand of rock
and soul. Not only does the disk recall the fine tunes and ace performances
of D'Arby's/Maitreya's 1987 debut, "Introducing the Hardline According to ... ," it
greatly expands his writing palette. The new songs bridge lounge music,
electronica, soul, jazz and garage rock with a breadth that could turn
Prince, or even Sly Stone, green with envy.

There's none of the excess, or pretense, that caused the public and the
press to turn on D'Arby/Maitreya. (The media got an extra incentive via the singer's,
shall we say, creative way with his autobiography.)

Now that all seems like blood under the bridge.

Perhaps to create even more distance from his past, D'Arby has given himself
a new nickname: Sananda Maitreya. It's not exactly as resonant as P. Diddy
or even Prince's symbol , but thankfully the songs have the catchiness his
new moniker lacks. In "O Divina," D'Arby offers a piece of Bacharach-style
R&B that would have been great for Tom Jones in the '60s, while on "Drivin'
Me Crazy," he unites the undulating beats of Massive Attack with the Farfisa
organ sound of the Seeds. "What Shall I Do?" has the grace of a top Stevie
Wonder ballad.

D'Arby's/Maitreya's voice has never sounded sturdier - in both his sweet moan and his
soul-man shout.

Even D'Arby's/Maitreya's lyrics have gotten more terse and witty. In "Suga Free," he
sings over a ribald bass line: "The flavor fades from Lady Marmalade/ Our
car-o-sel/ Has lost its car-a-mel."

With words this winking, and music of such scope, D'Arby/Maitreya has created a
comeback album surprising enough to make him seem new.

Jim Farber

Originally published on June 15, 2003