Product Description

INXS seemed to be finished as an entity after the death of lead singer Michael Hutchence in 1997. Yet in a rather bizarre commercial move, the band signed on to a reality-TV show based on the idea of finding a new lead singer. They came away with J.D. Fortune, a Canadian who at one time made his living as an Elvis impersonator. Surprisingly enough, though, Fortune is a good fit for the band, with a pouty, sultry croon that recalls--not coincidentally--Hutchence.
The appropriately titled SWITCH finds INXS in full working order onceagain. Though a good many years past their late-'80s glory days, 2005's SWITCH certainly has the classic INXS sound, and their appealing mix of rock muscle, seductive swagger, anddancefloor grooves holds up quite well. The album's first single, "Pretty Vegas", is a driving rocker that recalls vintage hits like "Devil Inside", while moody ballads like "Afterglow" find the band in U2-like stadium-rock mode. After conquering a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, these Australian lads have put themselves back on the map with this solid effort.

Track Listing

1. Devil�s Party
2. Pretty Vegas
3. Afterglow
4. Hot Girls
5. Perfect Strangers
6. Remember Who�s Your Man
7. Hungry
8. Never Let You Go
9. Like It Or Not
10. Us
11. God�s Top Ten
12. Taste It (live)
13. Never Let You Go (Digital Dog Remix)
14. Afterglow (Redanka�s Afterdark Remix)
15. Afterglow (video)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9773 in Music
• Released on: 2006-10-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced

Amazon.co.uk Review
Switch, INXS's first release since re-fashioning itself as a prime-time reality show spectacle, could earn somebody an A in sociology. A poll of inter-generational hipsters is bound to show that the degree to which you like it correlates directly to your age. The over-30 crowd--those who once shimmied to the late Michael Hutchence's hugely sexy vocal turns on hits such as "Need You Tonight" and "What You Need"--might have a hard time dissing it, mainly because J.D. Fortune succeeds so unswervingly at imitating him. On the other hand... there it is: imitation doesn't always sit well with the generation that recently ripped into Paul Rodgers for parading around stages as Freddie Mercury, and as much as 30-something rock sophisticates will want to relive INXS's heyday, they'll do so suspiciously without Hutchence at the helm. Younger fans, on the other hand--the ones that discovered the band on reality TV--can enjoy J.D. Fortune and co. without reservation, and they will love this disc best. For them, "Devil's Party" (reminiscent of "Original Sin") will arrive without reference, thereby making near-impossible funk-rock coolness seem new. Ditto that effect on "Pretty Vegas," a vampy number co-written by Fortune that owes its guitar riff to "Devil Inside." "Like It or Not" and "Hot Girls," two other standouts, also go a long way toward peeling away the poser tag Hutchence fans may want to affix to Fortune, but may not entirely remove it. For some fans, Hutchence's "Never Tear Us Apart" plea is a personal thing. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews

Rock Stars - Back on form
I have just purchased the new Inxs album and I have to say WOW!!!!!.

Mr JD Fortune who came to our attention on VH1'S rock star INXS sounds spookily like Michael Hutchence, when I heard the first song on the album, Devil's Party, i got a shiver down my spine. The Tim Farriss and JD Fortune collabaration of Pretty Vegas is catchy and excellent.

I'm so pleased that these guys are back on form and back in my cd player and I'm so pleased that JD Fortune has fitted in with the bands style.

Excellent effort - deservedly 5 stars.

A Fortune-ate Choice
Who would have guessed that an American reality TV show could engineer a comeback for an "elegantly wasted" Aussie rock group?

Since the passing of Michael Hutchence in 1997, the band changed lead singers a few times before embarking on their TV quest for a new lead singer who could fit Hutchence's big boots.

Winner J. D. Fortune (Jason Dean Bennison of Canada) sounds eerily like Mike at times, but successfully captures the spirit of his predecessor on this album.

First single "Pretty Vegas" was written by Fortune during the competition, to the music of Andrew Farriss, other picks being "Afterglow" (almost a ballad), "Perfect Strangers", "Hungry", "Like It or Not" and "God's Top Ten" - a song dedicated to Hutchence, and featuring Suzie McNeil.

"Romance is gone, he's drifting with the stars
The lyric in his pocket, little girl in his heart
When you hear his songs on the radio I don't need to tell you what you already know
He's in God's top ten where heaven never ends"

After eight long years, INXS is back, and that's the reality.

INXS AND J.D FORTUNE
JUST PURCHASING THE ALBUM AFTER SEEING THE SHOW AT THE SHEPHERD'S BUSH EMPIRE. WELL WORTH SEEING ESPECIALLY AS I AM A FOLLOWER OF INXS SINCE THE DAYS OF MICHAEL HUTCHENCE. J.D. FRONTS THE BAND BRILLIANTLY AND I WOULD RECOMMEND SEEING THE SHOW TO EVERYONE .