U Can Never Be 2 Straight [Import]

Boy George | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 12, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Import
• ASIN: B00006AFUO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,095 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ich Bin Kunst

2. St. Christopher

3. She Was Never He

4. Cheapness and Beauty

5. Fat Cat

6. If I Could Fly

7. Unfinished Business

8. Julian

9. Wrong

10. Letter to a School Friend

11. The Deal

12. Losing Control

13. Same Thing in Reverse

14. Il Adore

15. Bow Down Mister

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars George's best songwriting, December 28, 2002

By 

"littleghost" (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: U Can Never Be 2 Straight (Audio CD)

This unplugged CD contains some of George's best songwriting. At my first glance at the tracklisting, I was disappointed to see George re-releasing old songs on here, but after popping the CD in my car and taking a drive, I got George's concept. Much like Madonna's "Something To Remember" CD, this CD isolates the acoustic ballads from the rock and pop tracks on previous albums, and the result is a very moving album.

The new material is some of his strongest: standouts include the tear-jerker "Wrong" and the inspired poetry of "The Deal." "Losing Control" is a complete overhaul (or possibly the original demo?) of an old dance track he released 10 years ago under the moniker Jesus Loves You, and this interpretation brings out all the emotion that the previous version's deep house beats smothered.

Be sure to keep listening for the album's hidden gem: after the last listed track, there is a 16th song (although it's not separated from the 15th track on this CD - so if you want to jump right to it, you have to fast-forward through Bow Down Mister, which gets annoying after a while -- why not just list it as Track 16?). The hidden track is "Out of Fashion," one of his most haunting cautionary tales yet. The role of advice-dispensing balladeer is one that suits George's personna well: "Too much jealousy will make you crazy/ Too much ego makes you ugly/ Desperation pushes love away..." The song unravels and gets under your skin.

While I also enjoyed another new track, "Julian," I can't help but notice that George's voice is getting awfully raspy. Other fans have commented on this, too. I don't want to sound like his mother, but George, please stop smoking... we want you and your beautiful voice to be around for a long time.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Go Boy!, January 21, 2004

By 

Nasser Alqatami - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: U Can Never Be 2 Straight (Audio CD)

Gender-bender is back with the comeback of the summer. After a short stint at deejaying for clubheads and co-writing his London musical "Taboo," the frontman of Culture Club is done with trying to rekindle the band's former success with bound-for-failure reunions, and back as a solo artist and a talent in his own right. Boy George - real name George O'Dowd - approaches heteronormity, trans-issues and childhood memories all with his distinctly witty and confessional lyrics with, surprisingly, a very acoustic ambiance to the sound of "You Can Never B2 Straight." The album is a definite grower, however, and some tracks stick out from the first listening like the latin-flavored "She Was Never He"and the sorrowful "Letter To A School Friend." This album will probably be forgotten considering the market - but if so, it will be one of the most underrated albums of the year.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boy George At His Best, February 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: U Can Never Be 2 Straight (Audio CD)

I am taken aback by some of the other reviews. Possibly because I am not a major fan of this artist, I approached the CD with less preconceived expectations. This is one of the best CDs of 2003 in my book. Almost every track is excellent. The acoustic based productions not only are superb, they allow Mr.O'Dowd's rich voice to shine. There is also a tremendous amout of diversity in the songs. I never new he was such an accomplished songwriter. The lyrics are well crafted. Give it a try!