The Eurythmics’ 1999 reunion album Peace was an embarrassment, so expectations weren’t high for Lennox’s first collection of solo, self-written material since 1992’s Diva. How wrong we were. And it seems we have to thank pain, suffering and misery for her recovery from writer’s block, as the sinuous melodies and dark emotions on Bare were all inspired by the trauma of a break-up. It may not be Blood On The Tracks, but songs like “Loneliness”, “The Saddest Song” and “The Hurting Time” (which sounds like it sashayed in from a Sade album) are as potent as the titles suggest. Then, on tracks like “1000 Beautiful Things”, Lennox reaches a state of acceptance and hope that, even in the darkest hour, a new dawn awaits. She’s still a class act.
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