I can't express how excited I was when I learned that Joe Jackson, for the first time in 20 years, was putting his band back together to make a new record. For those of you not on the DL, Joe Jackson was one of the most scathingly brilliant new-wave punkers back in the early 80's. If I was on a deserted island and could only have 10 records for the rest of of my days, Look Sharp would be a necessity. Since 1983 Jackson has certainly fallen off the radar--toning it down and focusing mostly on his classical piano skills.

I figured that after 20 years he might well be ready to fire things up again and turn out a watershed record full of biting good songs. The First track "Take It Like a Man" earns this album two stars by itself. When Jackson sneers "don't be a woman, take it like a man"! I was frothing at the mouth. Unfortunately, after the first 3 tracks, this album runs out of steam in record time. This might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I can see that this reunion should have never been. The tuneful volatility that fueled his glory days seems to have evaporated for good. Pity, really--Jackson used to rock some ass. This isn't a total disappointment, but I can't help but be saddened.