When Culture Club topped the charts with Karma Chameleon back in the early 80s, who would ever have thought it would become the perfect description for their lead singer? Boy George has now achieved a career resurrection that's been little short of remarkable, putting his troubled drag queen days behind him and embracing success as a DJ, musical writer and rejuvenated solo artist. His new album sees him straying even further from his roots, as he performs a set of neo-folk songs in a minimalist, stripped-down setting. Truth be told, U Can Never B 2 Straight is a bit of a mish mash, combining newly written material with re-recordings of songs from previous albums. In fact, the new songs (apparently inspired by a recent breakup) are generally far superior, making you wish that George had taken the time to write a few more of them. It all hangs together reasonably well, however, with acoustic guitars, strings and keyboards setting off George's perennially soulful vocals to good effect, while a few spiteful lyrical digs at old friends and lovers show that he hasn't lost his bitchy side altogether. For several different reasons, then, a rather naughty album - but one that, like the boy himself, is extremely hard not to like.
