Duran Duran released Red Carpet Massacre, their latest album, in conjunction with a two song performance on the Grammys and some concerts in New York where they performed their new material in its entirety. If you’re looking for a trip down 80s memory lane, you might be disoriented.

Simon Le Bon’s distinctive voice remains throughout, and Nick Rhodes’ trademark atmospheric soundscapes make some appearances, but the Taylors are all but lost to the spartan pop-trendy production by Timbaland and Justin Timberlake.

Andy Taylor, the group’s original guitarist, had quit the band (again) since 2004’s Astronaut, and the album suffers from a lack of his energetic contributions. Roger and John remain, but it is difficult to notice them. John Taylor’s funkified bass lines are completely absent on some tracks and totally repressed on the rest. Drummer Roger Taylor’s funk-disco-rock is replaced or sterilized on almost every track by an electronic beat box with little personality.

The album is not garbage, and in fact, it has a number of catchy melodies. But, it is not the Duran Duran sound. It is more of a recent Gwen Stefani or Madonna album, with computerized elements set to a simplified beat. However, this in’t the first time that Duran Duran has strayed from their 80s sound. Albums like Pop Trash and Medazzaland showed that they are comfortable casting aside their original roots for new trends and experimentation. Even the 80s album Notorious was somewhat of a departure from the formula that had made them so successful. So, in terms of branching out and resisting their typecasting, Red Carpet Massacre is an accomplishment.

The album has a number of tracks that are destined for Top 40 airplay and there is something to be said for a group with decades of history that is able to turn on a dime and be as relevant and trendy as the newest pop phenoms.

*** (3 out of 5 stars)

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