IN CASE YOU MISSED IT LAST YEAR...

reg Dulli is at it again. Blackberry Belle is the second CD from the Twilight Singers, Dulli’s post-Afghan Whigs project. The Singers are basically just Greg Dulli and whatever friends he can get together, as this new CD has a completely different band from the Singers' first album. Although, it still has Dulli’s moaning sexy voice on it and it still sounds like the Afghan Whigs.

The first track “Martin Eden” announces “black out the windows, its party time”, but it seems pretty obvious that party time just ended. If Dulli had to get away from his old band, it clearly wasn’t to go in a different musical direction. There is still a mellow, slithering sound to most of the songs and Dulli is still crooning the same type of lyrics.

“Teenage Wristband”, the first single, has the most potential to put the Twilight Singers on the map as a great band. “You wanna go for a ride?” Dulli asks. After listening to most of this disc, I would have gotten off at the fourth or fifth track.

The CD fails to stay interesting through all eleven songs, and the last song is a droning, dying country song that goes on for over six minutes. The eleventh song, titled “Number Nine” for artistic purposes perhaps, promises “I’m gonna take my time”. At this point, Mr. Dulli and co. have already taken an hour of your time.

The CD is not all bad though. "Teenage Wristband" and “Decatur St” are both driving, seductive songs that are worthy of any rock fan’s ears. Track seven, “Papillon” gives us hope that this may be a departure from the old Whigs style. With a soothing acoustic guitar strumming in the background and Dulli singing more conventionally than normal.

Perhaps Blackberry Belle isn’t a disc to listen to from beginning to end, but with a number of potent songs, I don’t think any Greg Dulli fans will be bothered all that much.