It's been a tumultuous ride for Greg Dulli. The Afghan Whigs stormedonto the scene in 1986, determined to destroy all the walls that stoodin their way. As the years went by, they slowly metamorphosed into asex rock project, with Dulli's howl shifting more into a purr meant tocoax off panties rather than bust down barriers. And then, after threelabels and fifteen years, they called it quits. Dulli had alreadystarted his new project in the Twilight Singers, but their debut waslanguid and laden with death imagery, probably because Dulli wrote therecord in the pit of a depression determined to kill him. Needless tosay, it didn't fly off the record shelves, despite the best efforts ofFila Brazilia to dance up the dirges. It was time for a change, itseemed, as Dulli parted ways with his second major record label in fiveyears. Now with a firm cheering section in place with Birdman, it feelslike Dulli has hit his stride again, and he's brought the angry swaggerwith it. This limited edition EP is the first new Twilight Singersmaterial in 3 years, featuring a cover and two original tracks. Wherethe Twilight Singers used to be a mellow affair with scattered dancebeats, now it's as if Dulli decided his two bands needed to become one."Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair" is a traditional that NinaSimone made famous, and as he did on Uptown Avondalewith classic soul numbers, Dulli makes it his own with classic verve.It starts off like any Twilight Singers song would, but when theguitars join with Dulli's screams, it's like the Whigs at their height:goosebumps galore. "Domani," too, at first is more like what you'dexpect from the Singers, with soul licks and that sexy vocal. But againthe wall of guitars return halfway through the song, and the Singersare born anew. "Now I can see, everything's clear up here from myposition" says it all as Dulli's confidence has never been thischarged. "Son of the Morning Star" sounds like a remix of anothertrack, with faded vocals and a rapid-fire dance beat. The track's a bitof a throwaway until the strings come in, and even then I wouldprobably skip it on repeat listens. On the strength of the first twotracks, though, the forthcoming album should be a real treat withplenty of sex to go around.Read More
