Edwyn Collins: Losing Sleep

Edwyn Collins: Losing Sleep
Edwyn Collins is perhaps best known as a 90s one-hit wonder; his 1994 single, “A Girl Like You” reached number 32 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the UK Singles Chart. But before his one-hit wonder status, Collins was the lead-singer of Orange Juice, a late-70s/early-80s post-punk band. The group scored a hit with “Rip It Up”, which reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart in 1983. Despite his pedigree, Collins has largely been forgotten over the last decade. His absence from music can be attributed to suffering a double brain hemorrhage in 2005. After a lengthy recovery, Collins returns with his seventh solo album, Losing Sleep.
For those only familiar with Edwyn Collins because of “Girl Like You”, Losing Sleep should satisfy. The album still has a retro pop feel with Iggy Pop-esque vocals. Take the album’s opening track and lead single “Losing Sleep”. The track’s instrumental is sounds like The Go! Team‘s “Doing It Right” mixed with Band of Bees‘ “Chicken Payback.” Over the instrumental Collins gives his best baritone croon.
Not all songs fit into the nice neat retro pop box, however. “Bored” has a Warren Zevon with the Hindu Love Gods feel to it. “Humble” sounds like Ray Charles duetting with The Coral. “Come Tomorrow, Come Today” sounds like The Boy Least Likely To covering Donna Lewis‘ “I Love You Always Forever.”
No matter the style, Edwyn Collins seems to do it fairly successfully on Losing Sleep. My only complaint is that the album putters out a little after nine tracks and the concluding three songs on the album feel a little like an afterthought. But the first nine tracks on Losing Sleep make for a very nice comeback album.
Rating: 7.2/10
MP3: Edwyn Collins “Losing Sleep”
Buy: iTunes or Amazon