Colour By Numbers

I grabbed this from the record store just because it was $3 and had Karma Chameleon on it. I thought “oh nice haha.” Turns out this is a really solid album and culture club is now one of my favorites. Can’t wait to see them soon!!

I've got all 5 Club albums and they're all top notch, but Numbers symbolizes the peak of their success. Understandably so because it definitely lives up to its name! It's a beautifully colorful album from Karma to Romance. George, Jon, Roy, and Mikey excel in their areas of expertise. A brilliant album from a brilliant group. :) 1. Karma Chameleon: 5/5. Irresistible! What else can you say? ;) 2. It's a Miracle: 4.5/5. It can grow repetitive after awhile, but who cares? It's a great song to get in a happy mood. Its uniqueness makes it a standout song on the roster. 3. Black Money: 4/5. Excellent performance all around, but one of the less exciting ones for me. Helen Terry nearly drowns out George in some parts. 4. Changing Every Day: 3/5. Not sure why, but something seems to be missing! Otherwise extremely relatable and down-to-earth lyrics. 5. That's the Way: 4/5. Breathtaking. Beautiful. Powerful. 6. Church of the Poison Mind: 5/5. Absolute favorite! This could be the perfect model of a great duet; Boy and Helen trade vocals in such a way you can't help but belt along! Foot-stomping, head-bopping good time no matter who's around. :) 7. Miss Me Blind: 5/5. Great use of rock elements! Roy's guitar solo at the end is not something you wanna miss. ;) 8. Mister Man: 4/5. Catchy, meaningful, but it slightly lacks the color the others provide. 9. Stormkeeper: 5/5. This is one of those songs that was never a hit but really should've been. Truly a hidden gem! 10. Victims: 5/5. Possibly the most beautiful song I've ever heard. Starts off a somber lullaby, then slopes up to a yearning mid-tempo jam. George's voice shines like no tomorrow all the way through. And Jon's fabulous drum beat separating the two tempos could be the most powerful part on CBN. Pure musicgasm! 11. Man-Shake: 4/5. A great chant song with an explosive beat! Ever heard it on those fancy sound-canceling headphones?? 12. Mystery Boy: 5/5. To me, this song sounds like it doesn't know which decade it belongs in, which is totally cool!! It's croony, unconventional, and, hence the name, mysterious! Why it didn't make the original lineup in 1983 is a mystery in itself... 14. Colour By Numbers: 5/5. Divine ballad. Leaves me speechless each listen. 15. Romance Revisited: 5/5. A classical piece to tie it all together! This instrumental version of Victims (with an additional orchestra) makes me believe the boys could turn around and go classical if they really wanted. Wonderful way to end a stellar album. Still reading this?? Go pick up a copy, silly! :)