The cover of
Romeo Dance Cheetah’s Magnificent Man gives some warning, for novices, of the
whacky and distinctive point of view dominating the album’s nine songs. It’s
gaudy, assertive, and colorful, but there’s real luster surrounding its imagery
and feel. He certainly demands that you don’t take him seriously throughout
much of Magnificent Man, but he likewise presents the material with such a
knowing flair for what will work captivating his target audience that one ends
up respecting the design and spirit of this album. His humor definitely can be
heard as going over the top by some at a few points during Magnificent Man, but
never so far over the edge that you feel an urge to turn off the song. There’s
a natural exuberance coming across with these songs that is definitely the
product of youth, in some respects, but there’s also a major part of Cheetah’s
talent is wider and wiser than his age might otherwise imply.
“Magnificent
Man” doesn’t have any shame. Cheetah grabs the eighties arena rock style by the
throat and gives us his best imitation but it never lacks ample style. The
production has a ton of muscle, but there’s a lot of open space in the sound
that lets these impressively large tracks breathes quite freely. The other
songs of that type on Magnificent Man, “Party Poopin’” and “The Air Guitar
Song”, hinge on the production and vocals. In both cases, Cheetah strides
across the recording stage with immense confidence and owns these tunes with a
level of authority we’d normally associate with older artists. The thrashing
guitars of “Porcupine Love” come roaring out of the speakers and get up in the
listener’s face. Like the other tracks on Magnificent Man, this one never
overstays its welcome but it impressively maintains a high level of energy for
its entirety without a discernible lull coming at any point.
“Gone with
the Wind” has a light bluesy panache that might seem like a surprise, but the
guitars and vocals carry it off with equal aplomb. His vocal alternates between
an oddly, at first at least, self conscious tone and more traditional singing./
We go back to more conventional ground with the song “1970’s Disco King” and
this late song rates as one of the album’s possibly more underrated moments. It
never comes off with the overblown production and sound of the earlier tunes,
but it’s an effective number in its own way. The final one two punch of “Laser
Beam Makeup” and “Live the Dream” couldn’t hardly be any more different. The
sheer freakiness of the first song is completely flattened by the latter’s
sensitivity and rousing emotion. The sheer amount of variety on the album will
be surprising for those expecting some sort of one trick pony there’s clearly
more room to run for Romeo Dance Cheetah if he continues the approach we hear
on Magnificent Man. It’s a hell of an album and entertaining all the way
through.
David Shouse
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