On his first solo record since 2001, Perry Farrell is backed by a band of a dozen plus musicians billed as the Kind Heaven Orchestra. This brief (nine songs, 31 minutes) record kicks off with “Cheerfulness,” which contains some of the best vocals I’ve heard from Farrell in 20-plus years. The song is too brief to make a huge impression but it’s still decent and better than what I thought it would be. “Pirate Punk Politician” is an electro-inspired mess that’s best left behind. Fortunately, at less than three minutes, it’s incredibly easy to forget.

“Snakes Have Many Hips” is another of Perry’s oddball weird songs that makes him sound like he’s leading some weird oompah type band. It does nothing to add to his legacy and doesn’t help this record at all. Perry’s wife makes vocal appearances on a few tracks and though they’ve been happily married for years, her vocals make it feel like a Yoko situation, like she’s there to help her man and possibly her own career at the same time. “Spend The Body” feels like it’s more of a song for her than it is a Perry track and definitely could’ve been erased from this disc. Her vocals also bring down every song where she prominently appears, and that’s not good for the overall disc.

“Where Have You Been All My Life” starts off decent but then it turns into a drum and bass experiment that would have been better suited for his first solo record. “More Than I Could Bear” is a slower song that highlights Perry’s still strong vocals and is probably the most interesting song here. Definitely a great song. Unfortunately, only one good song out of nine does not make a good album. Most of America agreed and the record will probably go down as one of the biggest duds of 2019.

Rating: D-

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