Rio
Duran Duran

As far as I remember sexy boy / Simon Le Bon WAS Duran Duran. There were others in the band but somehow he was the only one that mattered. But that was 40 years ago and my mind has turned to mush since then. These days, I spend time trying to mentally separate Tom LaBonge, from Tom Delonge and Simon Le Bon from Cinnabon. Mmmmm.... Cinnabon — yummy, indulgent, sweet and warm. Cinnabon's brother, Simon is everything Cinnabon is but likely a complete and total dick. He seems like the kind of guy that'll park in a handicapped spot, try to screw your girlfriend and your sister at the same time and probably begins sentences with the phrase "Do you know who I am...?' But that voice of his... OMG. Is it possible to extricate that voice from the music and put it in my trousers? On tracks like Save a Prayer and Hold Back the Rain, Lonely in your Nightmare, Le Bon's voice gently blends into the music underneath in absolute perfection. Whomever produced this earned their money. The Wolf song is sexy fun and the others, except for the title track, are good too. All said, Rio is a great album, a composition of strong, sharp baselines, synth-y etherials, some disco drums and that oh so sexy-boy voice. YUM! Be forewarned before listening. Try to control yourself and bring some napkins. Similar to Cinnabon, Simon and his voice could easily leave you feeling weightless with a mess of sugary goo on your hands after you've finished. Four stars.

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