Switch

Switch

After a hard-fought competition on the reality show Rock Star, J.D. Fortune won the right to sing lead with INXS, leading to the release of Switch in 2005. It was a difficult job from the start — the voice and persona of the late Michael Hutchence had given the Australian band its identity during its hitmaking heyday. Still, Switch makes a spirited attempt to integrate Fortune into the group, succeeding more often than it fails. INXS returns to its signature mix of moody guitar textures and nervous rhythms for much of the album and the enticing decadence of the band’s earlier hits is recaptured on tracks like “Devil’s Party,” “Pretty Vegas” and “Hungry.” The strutting “Like It Or Not” and the slinky “Never Let You Go” reaches back to the band’s ‘80s dance floor triumphs. Fortune’s vaguely ominous croon works well on “Afterglow,” though “Us” finds him mired in excess sweetness. Though it strains for effect in spots, when Switch clicks, the results invoke the band’s old snap and resonance.

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