NEITHER FISH NOR FLESH
Neither Fish nor Flesh (A Soundtrack of Love, Faith, Hope & Destruction) is the second album by the U.S. singer Terence Trent D’Arby, released in 1989 on Columbia Records. (More from Wikipedia)
Terence Trent d’Arby, Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent d’Arby – Allmusic tells what happened next: “All of the success – both commercial and critical – had d’Arby poised as a major act, artistically and popularly. d’Arby’s mix of soul, rock, pop, and R&B recalled Prince in its scope and sound, yet his sensibility was grittier and earthier. At least they were at first. By the time of his second album, 1989’s Neither Fish nor Flesh, his ambitions were more nakedly pretentious. The record carried the weighty subtitle ‘A Soundtrack of Love, Faith, Hope & Destruction’ and attacked many self-consciously important themes, including homophobia and environmental destruction. In addition to the self import of the lyrics, the music added a variety of new textures, from Indian drones to straight-ahead ’50s R&B. All of the added baggage was too much for his audience, and Neither Fish nor Flesh dropped off the charts quickly, without so much as one hit single. It took d’Arby a full four years to record a new album.” Terence Trent d’Arby has released several more good albums and has carved out a niche as a cult act, but it wasn’t what might have been.
(December 2015)
