Search - Mink Deville :: Premium Gold Collection

A passionate, poetic masterpiece

Pieter | Johannesburg | 10/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"DeVille's brilliant music has its origins in street-corner vocal harmony, early R&B, and classic American rock. Virtually every song is a masterpiece with a catchy melody, poetic lyrics and seamless arrangement. At times the music reminds me of Tom Petty's best songs like When The Time Comes and Listen To Her Heart in its romantic ecstacy, especially tracks like Mixed Up Shook Girl and This Must Be The Night, at other times I detect some of the Latin beauty of Franki Valli & the Four Seasons in the divine harmonies. Then again, there's an almost punk edge to numbers like Savoir Faire. I also find the variety astonishing, from the New Orleans Mardi Gras sound of Mazurka, the soulful Latin pop of I Broke That Promise to the sensitive rock balladry of Just To Walk That Little Girl Home, which reminds me of another obscure band, the legendary American Music Club. If you're looking for literate rock with sweeping melodies and soaring vocals, this is the right album as it contains most of this neglected but great musician's best work."