BRYAN fERRY AND hIs ORChEsTRA

Bitter-sweet 7/10

Back to the jazz age, this time with vocals

As a solo artist, Ferry has routinely peppered his discography with albums of cover versions – Dylan, Lennon, soul, doo-wop and R&B. In 2012, he elected instead to cover his own songs with The Jazz Age – instrumentals recorded in the style of the Roaring Twenties. He revisits the concept for Bitter-Sweet, though this time providing vocals. The highlights include an autumnal “Reason Or Rhyme” and “Boys And Girls”, where Ferry’s hushed, intimate delivery occasionally recalls Leonard Cohen. The arrangements are sharp – a jaunty “Dance Away”, a ruminative “White My Heart Is Still Beating”. For all its old-time vibes, a typically inspired record from Ferry.