Voice of Love

On her follow-up, Julee Cruise once again worked with David Lynch as lyricist (and percussionist!) and Angelo Badalamenti as musical creator, with results that on the one hand continue Floating into the Night with little variation, and on the other introduce just enough difference into the brew. Ultimately Voice of Love is a continuation more than anything else -- though who loved Floating will adore this; those who hated it could easily avoid this, and so forth. As a sequel, though, it's still good enough stuff. Like Floating, Voice is, to an extent, a semi-soundtrack for Lynch's work: the queasy jazz-noir drones of "Up in Flames" appeared on his Industrial Symphony #1 project, while the soft shimmer "Questions in a World of Blue" cropped up on the Twin Peaks movie score. Interestingly, her Elvis cover for Until the End of the World, "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears," isn't here, but an interesting combination of drone and steady, semi-industrial beats titled after the movie is. Voice of Love stands alone just fine, though, another mysterious, dreamy float through a hazy post-'50s/post-punk mood zone. Nothing on the album is as instantly strong and memorable as "Falling," making it more a collection to be appreciated as a whole instead of in parts. Certainly a lot of the music sounds like "Falling" or other first-album highlights; given that Badalamenti shows variety in his other work, likely enough it's a decision on his part to maintain a certain mood with Cruise. If anything, the change would be in the drumming, which is often a little more upfront and pulsing (if still gentle enough) than on Floating. "Movin' in on You" is a lovely example of Cruise's work on both lead and overdubbed harmony vocals, hitting the light shoo-be-doo-wop feel of songs like "The Nightingale" well, while the neat strut and swing of "Kool Kat Walk" is just plain fun. ~ Ned Raggett