Billboard Review

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 12:48 am

A far cry from 2003's "Here I Am: Ronald Isley Meets Burt Bacharach," this is all new material, and for the first time features Bacharach's own lyrics (with a little help from Tonio K.). It is also his most personal and ambitious work. Bacharach largely eschews romance in confronting today's troubling issues. Most arresting is "Who Are These People?," where guest vocalist Elvis Costello rails against politicians. On a plaintive note, Rufus Wainwright narrates the search for a better day on "Go Ask Shakespeare." That tune and two others are built on Dr. Dre's drum and bass loops, giving the songs different shapes compared to classic Bacharach. But his trademark melodicism and gorgeous arrangements remain intact, as does the hope he himself sings about in a soft warble on the closing "Always Taking Aim." â€”Jim Bessman

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 12:12 pm

A slight correction on the Billboard review. John Pagano sings the closing verse on Always Taking Aim, not Burt.