Necessary Evil

Debbie Harry | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 9, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Eleven Seven Music
• ASIN: B000SM7QVQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,915 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Anyone hoping for the 62-year-old Debbie Harry to sit up and act her age will be sorely disappointed by the former Blondie vixen's sixth solo album (and first in 14 years). Viscerally contemporary, Necessary Evil harnesses youthful exuberance from across the charts, and Harry and her team of producers and songwriting partners do radio-ready rock, pop, and soul-lite with à la mode savvy to spare. Big-time sing-alongs ("Two Times Blue," "You're Too Hot") rub elbows with spare, distorted guitar lines piled in arena-sized stacks ("Love with Vengeance," "Charm Redux," and the especially vivacious "Whiteout"). "The Devil's dick is hard to handle," Harry growls in "School for Scandal," encapsulating the attitude of shameless defiance coursing through this and other lean, mean, up-tempo numbers like the half-rapped, full-lipped "Dirty and Deep." Between the reversed hip-hop break bisecting "Charm Alarm," the title track's stolen riff from Rage Against the Machine's "Know Your Enemy," and Harry's bits of Internet imagery, this album won't dare let go of its of-the-moment moxie. Gumdrops like the flaccid "What Is Love" and closer "Paradise" are irrevocable but few; in all, the occasional slice of tripe strangely sweetens Harry's otherwise surprising longevity, ready to rock and salty as ever. --Jason Kirk

Product Description

Following the ending of Blondie's second life as a recording and touring outfit, and nearly a decade and a half after her last solo record, Debbie Harry, at the age of 62, makes a surprisingly feisty and invigorating return to form on the spunky Necessary Evil. Recorded with songwriting and production assistance from the likes of longtime collaborator Chris Stein and young production team Super Buddha, this album features echoes of early Blondie's ironic updating of classic '60s pop (the Phil Spector-like "Two Times Blue" shows where Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse got many of their ideas) mixed with contemporary Hip Hop and Electro Rock influences. Highlights include the lascivious "Dirty and Deep" and the lovely ballad "If I Had You," a worthy successor to Blondie's glorious love song "In the Flesh." At an age when many of Harry's contemporaries, such as Elvis Costello or Nick Lowe, are working in musical styles that have no connection to the modern Pop marketplace, Debbie Harry proves that it's possible to rock the mainstream at any age.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NECESSARY addition to Debbie's Discography!, October 9, 2007

By 

Henry Branham (Howell, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Necessary Evil (Audio CD)

In the past 30 years, Deborah Harry has not only established herself as the coolest woman in the universe, but also as the most adventurous recording artists ever. Throughout her career with Blondie, The Jazz Passengers, and her other four solo albums, she has pretty much tackled every musical genre that's out there.
With NECESSARY EVIL, Debbie doesn't waste time trying to prove what she can do. We already know. It's a solid pop album that offers up some diverse musical landscapes, but does not zig zag all over the place like her last two solo albums ("Def Dumb & Blonde" & "Debravation") and the last two Blondie releases ("No Exit" & "Curse of Blondie"). The sequencing of the songs on NECESSARY EVIL is perfect. The infectious grooves and melodies blend together wonderfully. "Two Times Blue" starts the album as a luscious pop wonder which is followed by the harder hitting "School for Scandal", which shows that age is no barrier for delivering cool, sexy lyrics. "If I Had You" is a power ballad that gives a nod to the girl group sound of the sixties, or more obviously, Blondie's earliest material of the same nature. "You're Too Hot" is a hypnotic sizzler with only six words ever sung (or shouted) that takes the album to a boiling point. This song has stayed in my head non-stop since I saw her perform it on the True Colors Tour back in June! "Whiteout" is a sublime pumping track that is equally addictive as "You're Too Hot". Two stand-out ballads are "Needless to Say" and the album closer "Paradise" (a beautiful song told from the perspective of a suicide bomber!).
What's most remarkable about NECESSARY EVIL is that Deborah Harry seems to be having fun on the record. That's pretty amazing for someone who has been in the business as long as she has. The fact that she keeps challenging herself as a songwriter and vocalist is pretty much unheard of. Not mentioning any names, but most performers in her age range stick to what they know and don't stray too far from the format. Deborah Harry never does this and that is why she is the greatest female rock icon out there.
Realistically NECESSARY EVIL will not get the promotion it needs and therefore will probably not be the commercial success it deserves to be, but that's all so unimportant. As I said with "The Curse of Blondie", what is most important is that she's made another great album that will hold up over time. It's a great addition to her discography and one she should definitely be proud of. As a life long fan of DEBORAH HARRY, I am thrilled by NECESSARY EVIL and can only hope she keeps making music forever!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The return of THE one and only New York Diva!!, October 9, 2007

By 

K. Eisenberger "dance music freak!" (Defiance, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Necessary Evil (Audio CD)

I have seen some good and some odd reviews of this cd but to me as a fan of Ms. Harry since 1979 it is always a welcome site to see a new cd as either Blondie or Jazz Passengers or as a solo act-- you know you are going to get something new and different to hear.

When I first played the cd I was a bit taken back with some of the songs-- There are some that I would have left off (Charm Redux and Heat Of The Moment) but then I read an interview with VH1- their Track by Track series and in that Debbie goes through each track and gives you an idea of the song's origin or meaning or the fact that some of the instrumentals through out the cd is to break up the theme of some songs or add a different feel to others and I am thinking that here is a woman who has busted her butt for over 30 years and she can basically set this cd up as she wished. The new Billboard interview also lets you know that she recorded the cd basically with her own money and really is set up for her fans and not sure how well it will actually sell but wanted to make a cd for herself and fans alone. Be damned with what others think I guess.

So here is what I think of Necessary Evil. The lead track "Two Times Blue" is to me not even the best track on the cd. It is a "Maria" type pop hit that has such a killer hook -- try and find the Nickel And Dime radio remix because that is THE best version of the track. Now for the most part on the cd Debbie is much more aggressive sexually lyrically and vocally than the last 2 Blondie cds. "School For Scandal" is pure Alternative Rock that smolders with her delivery. The best track on the new cd is the 3rd song "If I Had You"-- flawless from the intro to the end of the song. It is heart on sleeve/honest Debbie vocals shining all through the song. This song is a huge hit if the label or radio could find a way of finding each other. The second best track is the title track "Necessary Evil" and it's cock rock guitars and Debbie's smarty vocal performance. This needs a really solid remix to run up the dance chart."You're Too Hot" starts out with a new Debbie persona-- Black Gospel Debbie just going all Gospel at the intro and then it breaks into a flat out yelling/chant of a vocal with heavy guitars all through the song. Listed on the credits-- Debbie played guitar on the song. Then you get 2 lovely ballads- "What Is Love" with it's killer hook but odd break off to a bit of chanting and the super personal "Needless To Say". The tracks "Dirty And Deep" and "You're Too Hot" are companions and so is the "Needless To Say" and "Heat Of The Moment" as well. So that should be obvious. The cd from 1-14 are produced by Super Budda.
The bonus tracks or tracks 15-17 are produced by Chris Stein and Bill Ware from Jazz Passengers. They are sort of Middle Easteren/African influenced and a different in scope and feel from the first 14 tracks. "Jen Jen" is basically an instrumental with chants and a New Order type guitar running through the song-- think of the b-side to "Strike Me Pink"--- 8 1/2 Rhumba and you get the idea of the song. The next bonus song- "Naked Eye" is a classic Stein/Harry written track-- a song of love about leaving your mark on your partner -- good or bad. The last track is the female suicide bomber track "Paradise" and it was hard to get into the lyrics when Debbie is singing almost as a wind /saxapohone instrument . Written by Roy Nathanson from The Jazz Passengers and it sounds more POP jazz in style. Listen a few times like I had to and it will grow on you.

So for me on the whole the cd is a fascinating look at the mind of Deborah Harry. Since a child I have been fascinated in what she has to think and say musically and to me is one of the few artists you can hear thinking as the songs progress. Like I said before some will LOVE this cd or think it is ODD but to me it is never boring ever.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rock 'n' Roll Nod With a Punk Sensability!, November 4, 2007

By 

Timothy S. Daniel "Missa Tuss" (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Necessary Evil (Audio CD)

Now, here's the thing folks...I have read many of your reviews, and I cannot, for the life of me, understand why some of you rated this CD one star? Most of you rated is as I did with 5 stars, but I am directing this to the few who rated it lower. First and foremost, I am truly not a "gritty, grundgy, punk rocker"... I prefer Debbie singing her sweet falsetto to a thumping dance beat. I have ALWAYS loved previous outings like "Sweet and Low", "In Love With Love", "Backfired", and of course all of the Blondie classics. But, here is a CD that is so atypical of all of that. It is hard rocking and edgy. You can just feel the energy that Debbie is putting into these songs! From the pop gem, "Two Times Blue", which could easily be a "Maria" remake, to the hard to catagorize "Love You With A Vengence", and the somewhat tribal "Deep End", it is truly a masterpiece!

In closing, as I said before, I love my Debbie "fluff", but the meatier Debbie is is much more filling in the long run.