The B-52s: Funplex

The major difference is,
of course, the singing. Fred Schneider still natters on; sometimes it's daft
("Tentative tentacles are grabbing me / We're making space love in zero
gravity," from "Love in the Year 3000"), sometimes a hoot (on "Funplex,"
droning a shopping list: "candelabras and a Wonderbra"). But the heart of the
group is Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson, sometimes separately, but more often
together. Maybe it's the extensive touring they've done in the 15 years since
the last B-52s album, maybe it's studio electronics (if so, they're subtle),
but Pierson and Wilson soar here, and often take the songs with them.

That material is sometimes
far too automatic for its own good—see "Deviant Ingredient," which is as
trite as its title portends. But on "Eyes Wide Open" and the lustrous "Juliet
Of The Spirits," a Pierson/Wilson song as strong as any they've done in mystic
mode, the songs are up to the legend, and should sound as good at the B-52s'
joyous shows.