INXS 2005: Facing Reality and "It Ain't Pretty"

Tomorrow, November 22nd, will mark the 8-year anniversary of former INXS frontman Micheal Hutchence's death.  Coincidentally (or perhaps not so), this will be one week before the release of the band's "comeback" album Switch with new leader singer (and Hutchence sound-alike) JD Fortune.  If the lead single, "Pretty Vegas," is any indication of the future of INXS, Hutchence might just be better off hanging with Jim Morrison and Tupac.

Disappointing for 80's-lovers though it may be, it's not like we all didn't assume it would be a train wreck.  Unlike other 80's acts that are currently en vogue, INXS's pop sound hasn't aged well.  And of course, using a reality show to find a new lead singer (Rock Star INXS) reeked of a desperate attempt by a band far past its expiration date to make itself relevant again.  The true reality is, INXS was likely already over in 1997 when Hutchence passed, and he took the band's charisma with him. 

Even non-fans of the band's 80's guitar pop sound could not deny Hutchence's magnetism and stage presence.  Unlike other bands that successfully maneuvered the frontman switch (Van Halen, AC/DC), INXS really has no other standout personalities to lean on if this Fortune character turns out to be a stiff (and it looks like he might).  Hutchence was INXS.

If it all does somehow work out, credit the band's timing.  2005 might have been the perfect time for a mainstream comeback.  Then again, that assumes they had elected to recapture the retro-guitar sound of their heyday ("New Sensation," "Need you Tonight" or "Mystify").  Instead we get "Pretty Vegas," a bland track than channels current mainstream country rock.  Hank Williams III could sing it at the beginning of Monday Night Football and it would fit in nicely in a Toyota commercial.

All this being said, the track is charting pretty high overseas.  If you haven't heard it, stream it at MySpace.  Let us know what you think.  Any hope, or call it a career?

Comments

[Maritza]

INXS is not INXS without Michael. I don't care what anyone says. This new guy is trying to sound like Michael and I think it's ridiculous. INXS died November 22, 1997. I've been listening to them since I was a small child. I have everything they have ever done and I also have an autographed group picture of them. They need to retire. I love the band but once again it's nothing without Michael. Sorry JD YOU CAN'T BE MICHAEL SO STOP TRYING.

[Jesse Luke]

common people, JD will be just fine. His ego will get blown up, but he's got 4 seasoned pros, whom he respects, to guide him through the bullshit. As a 20+ year performaning music veteran myself, I understand this stuff. Also, I think they sound great. All of you who start with the premis that they have to be like to old Inxs are not even giving them a chance. This is a new band, they are all older & are taking ona new singer. Maybe you should try to listen to them as a new band, since that's really what they are. Are you the same person you were 15 years ago? I didn't think so. So why do you expect them to be?

[Styx]

Bought the album, based upon my reflections of INXS of old and yep - that's what I got. The album is good, but nothing spectacular. It made me feel like I just ate a rice cake, a little filling and good in a pinch, but no flavor.

I was glad to hear some Suzie McNeal mixed in, as she has a great voice. JD Fortune did a good Michael Hutchence impersonation at times but the vocals and songs lacked the edge they need in today's music scene. If this were released in the 80's a few songs would create hits, but now days the playfield is different.

Maybe they will do better in the days ahead and albums ahead, IF JD Fortune can handle a little fame and his ego doesn't get the best of him.

[brad]

i have a very big place in my heart for INXS...and although it's hard to get past the charisma and charm they lost with Hutchense's suspicious demise (suicide or sexual fetish gone awry)i'll be the first to admit that andy farriss has great talent at making solid music. "welcome to wherever you are" shows that the band is not just musically hutchense...though hutchense is still the key to their success.

i've listened to the new album via vh1. pretty vegas is pretty catchy and shows jd's ability to imitate hutchense's vocals to eery perfection. however, the song doesn't deliver beyond being catchy. great work for something written in only a few hours, but it's still what it is...lyrics written in a few hours (and perfomrmed 100 times on the show.)

the first track sets you up for what to expect. it's everything inxs, refined, remastered...and recycled. there's still plenty of talent left to make good, catchy, emotional songs, but the lyrics don't really say much besides empty sentiment. there used to be a risk and edge to them. even some of their biggest hits or strong album cuts were political, social, etc. pretty vegas is not deep. neither is anything else, and we could really use something insightful. "afterglow" is gorgeous, but generic...and for some reason it reminds me of filter's second hit from their second album...that balladish song.

i'm not gonna write a full review, but i'll say it all turned out a lot better than i expected, but at the same time, it's a creepy imitation of hutchINXS, instead of a band with a "new sound." it's solid and forgiveable...moreso than i expect from the band who i won't forgive for the reality show solution. marty scared me (wouldnt want to live next door" and jordis will do well if she has some good production and songwriting, but it's a shame tara missed out. she had a great voice and showed some personality at the end. jd is hot, polished, and too tan. kinda frat...and not sexy mysterious like michael. we miss him.

b

[Sonic Slang]

Wow, you guys are still at it! I'm glad. Healthy debate is good. :-)

Hey, let me say this, I hope the new album is good. Someone said it is available on VH1 to stream. I'd like to check that out. I was a big fan of INXS in the late-80s and I was very disappointed by the direction of the new sound. Only being honest. But as one of you guys said, fairly enough, it's a song written in a matter of hours, so its generic nature is not surprising. Obviously the band has talent, based on their 1980-1990 output. If you guys don't listen to that stuff, please do. That's the real deal.

I'm no JD fan so far, but if they can recapture the magic, good for them. "Pretty Vegas" is still mainstream, corporate rock though.

[Joe]

I agree. There's a difference between Hank Williams and the country he's talking about here. I think Big and Rich is a good comparison. I think you're all taking that comparison a little too literally.

Haha, the new INXS WISH they were like Franz Ferdinand. Please.

[Steve]

You guys are focusing on the sound of INXS of old, not this new song. The new song is generic rock, which is what popular country rock is. Yes, those current bands are influenced by OLD INXS. But to even COMPARE that new song to "Pretty Vegas" is totally ridiculous. TOTALLY RIDICULOUS.

Of course, maybe the rest of the album sounds like the old, cool INXS. I'm only commenting on the new song, and I guess so was the guy who wrote this review here. Hopefully we will all br proved wrong next week when it comes out. But the new song is WEAK.

[pen]

Yeah, I guess you really can't say pop princesses are dominating the charts. Madonna and Mariah are too old to be princesses. Shhhh....think maybe somebody should tell them....?
:-)

[pen]

Oh yeah, I forgot to ask, you do know that bands like the Killers and Franz Ferdinand were heavily influenced by INXS, right? Not Hank Williams?

Country Rock is really a pretty absurd description. Nothing about it's country. Yes, it's kind of an unusual combination of a number of genres of music, but country ain't one of them. seriously dude...

[pen]

Obviously, you haven't actually seen JD Fortune perform, or you'd know why millions of women, and even men, have been worked up into a frenzy over the guy, and why they're calling him 'the crack' on message boards. Can't get enough of him, and when you do get some, it only makes you want more.

Pretty Vegas was written in a matter of hours under the pressure of a tv show, and it's already on charts all over the world, and debuted at #20 on VH1s top 20 countdown this week.

Don't worry about INXS or JD. JD Fortune's got legs. Very long ones at that. The public's not going to let him use them to walk away.

[Steve]

I think the site was making fun of Nickleback dude, not endorsing it. That's not the sort of thing they like on here. I read Sonic Slang all the time, and they focus on indie rock, and some more experimental stuff. Not pop trash. These "new" INXS fans likely wouldn't have even heard of most of the music written about on here.

By the way, country rock does not make something bad. The article was, to my understanding, comparing "Pretty Vegas" to any mainstream, watered-down, middle of the road pop-rock song. Which it is. And the chorus does have country sounds to it. Not that it means anything. Go back and listen to a song like "Mystify." That was good INXS. This new sound sucks.

[Paul]

Before you pontificate on a subject that obviously you have no clue what your talking about, you should do more reasearch. Have you actually seen the new lead singer perform or are you just parrotting something you read somewhere else?
Please explain why stale music like Nickelback "Photograph" is ?Good? but a great new song like "Pretty Vegas" is Country-Rock? If you feel this to be true, please elaborate on this logic, because it just does not make sense.

[Joe]

Hmm, I have to agree with this guy on "Pretty Vegas." You all don't see the obvious country rock sound in the chorus? Just because they don't wear cowboy hats, doesn't make the sound any different. In terms of song structurem it is very VERY country-rock.
Tim McGraw could totally cover this!
But that's not really the point. I think what they are saying here is: INXS used to be great, and kind of innovative, and now they are bland and commonplace (based on just this song)
I heard this song for the first time in a commercial for that show Las Vegas. Good show, but they have bands like The Pussycat Dolls and Big and Rich on there. Nuff said, haha.

Hopefully the album will be good though...

[Sonic Slang]

Yeesh, it seems like we really struck a cord on this one! Good.

Hey, thanks for the opinions folks. We're all entitled to one. But to call ANY INXS album, in particular one who's lead singer was chosen via reality TV. something that is here to "shake up the current boring musical landscape dominated by horrific pop princesses and rap," well now THAT is uninformed.

Pop princesses are not dominating any charts these days...perhaps you have been stuck in a timewarp from 1999. And second, Sonic Slang does not exist to write about popular music. We write about good music.
If the whole album is good, then wonderful. But "Pretty Vegas" is generic rock, (and yes, could have been written by Big and Rich, or any other current mainstream country band. Just add some more twang to the verse)

It pales in comparision to anything the band did in their glory days.

[Caroline]

Well written. Interesting read. Unfortunately, you have obviously no idea what you are talking about. Pretty Vegas, country rock? INXS surely has a career ahead of them with JD Fortuen has their front man. You, on the other hand, should definetely look into something other than music critic as a career or hobby.

[Tamara Van Beckum]

How uninformed and what an unoriginal review. "Train Wreck"

Your quote: Hutchence might just be better off hanging with Jim Morrison and Tupac.

What gives you the right to say what is best for Hutchence?

There are 5 other members of INXS that didn't choose to end their life. They deserve a chance at doing what they live and breath "Music."

[Allison]

You have got to be kidding me with this review. Pretty Vegas is a great song. You neglect to mention how well it is doing on VH1, climbing in the countdown and talked about all over their message board. INXS is also nominated for their "Old School Triumph" award, so obviously someone, somewhere is listening to this band. Not everyone thinks this is a "train wreck". Old school INXS fans have anxiously awaited their comeback, and new fans are being added every day. This is apparent when you take a look at the ticket sales for their upcoming concerts. Michael Hutchence was an icredible frontman, but INXS was 6 guys, not just one. JD Fortune fits beautifully in this band. And as far as calling him a "stiff"? Take a look at his performances so far. He's anything but.

[Sarah]

"Pretty Vegas" channeling country rock? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard! I hate country music but Pretty Vegas is the best new song I've heard in a very long while. I'm extremely glad INXS is back and JD Fortune brings an exciting new voice and energy to the band. I've streamed "Switch" from VH1.com and it's a fantastic album that has come at the right time to shake up the current boring musical landscape dominated by horrific pop princesses and rap.