Jake Shears’ self-titled debut could well be the spiritual successor to the multimillion selling 2004 behemoth by the Scissor Sisters, the troupe of fabulous misfits of which he was the lead singer. While there aren’t as many Wizard of Oz references, Shears’ solo album is stuffed with the same jubilant escapism and twisted fantasy. This time, though, the Technicolor of Oz is smudged around the edges.
Weaved into Shears’ penchant for flashy honkytonk and bluesy rock’n’roll is his life story of disillusionment, heartbreak and self-refurbishment. The Godzilla-sized stomps of Creep City punctuate the horrors of isolation and identity loss, while Sad Song Backwards, a devastating breakup track, is dressed in so much drag the melancholia becomes darkly comedic. Everything I’ll Ever Need, a hybrid between Grease and a country ELO, is Shears’ best since Mary.
The record does lean a little close to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road at times, with the balladry of Palace in the Sky and All For What, and there are some interesting, if mildly underbaked, experimental twinges on The Bruiser. Still, by the record’s climax – the therapeutic and resolute Mississippi Delta (I’m Your Man) – Shears’ identity crisis ends, and his position as a pop star is restored. After all, there really is no place like home.
