This came out in 2000 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
“Ain’t going down / I intend to hang around,” declares Jimmy Somerville on his new album.
Why am I not surprised? After all, Somerville — one of pop’s first and most vocally gay performers — is nothing if not a survivor. He stuck it out through the rise and fall of Bronski Beat and Communards. With Manage the Damage, his latest solo effort and first disc in three years, his persistence is paying off. Like Pet Shop Boys’ latest, Manage the Damage finds Somerville discovering life beyond the dance floor, dipping his emotive falsetto in the waters of blue-eyed soul, sultry bump ’n’ grind beats, funky drum and bass and even intimate, folky balladry. Looks like the Small Town Boy has finally grown up.