Music Reviews

Album Review: Annie Lennox – ‘Songs of Mass Destruction’

By Jeff Swindoll Oct 17, 2007, 11:33 GMT

Menacing as they sound, the songs of mass destruction gathered on Annie Lennox\'s fifth solo disc don\'t manage to so much as nick the gorgeous instrument she\'s built her career on. Weaving artfully as ever around the contours of songs that suggest the worst--Lennox is world-wise and therefore maybe inevitably world-weary--she imparts gravity and grace in a voice as cloudless and surface-smooth as just-brewed mint tea; from the tentative beginnings ...more

Annie Lennox has always been somewhat of an enigma, a voice like an angel but one that’s been known to hang out in smoke-filled nightclubs and not adverse to a drink.  Her stylized look has been know to appear that she’s an angel, but one from “down under” where the temperatures are rather hot. 

But I digress… with her latest solo effort; she strives to address some of the issues of our time.  To that end the album has a very dark quality since Lennox obviously sees the world that way.  I’m pretty pessimistic as well, but even with the pessimism the songs still have an uplifting quality to them. 

Actually, that may be more from the first track Dark Road’s lyrics (and others as well), but they all still have a beat that’s hard to get depressed to.  So there may be hope for us all yet.  The song that might be the most press is “Sing” with a chorus of 23 fellow female artists (including Madonna, Faith Hill, KT Tunstall, Celine Dion, and many more) and is done to bring attention to the AIDS/HIV crisis. 

She uses her vocal instrument well and adds a great bluesy, smoky quality to all the songs and they range from gospel to rock.  Even if the world is a dark place, the album is a bright shining light and well worth having.