Review: Trevor Horn’s album “Echoes Old and New” 2023

Rarely have I been as excited about a new album as I am about this one — and rarely have I been so disappointed.

But from the beginning:

Trevor Horn is nothing less than a living legend. In my youth I was influenced by his music, especially for me personally the Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Art Of Noise and Grace Jones albums, but also the Propaganda albums. Later I admired his albums with Seal and many others.

With echoes ancient and modern, Trevor Horn has now produced a kind of tribute to his commercial and artistic magnum opus. Eleven titles by artists and songs emerged from the pop music Olympus. A treat I was really looking forward to.

I was expecting a lot, maybe too much. It should be a firework of sound innovation, nothing more and nothing less. Instead, from a nostalgia perspective, the old master has turned all the great songs into soothing, relaxing elevator music.

“SLAVE TO THE RHYTHM” becomes a quiet, loveable song from Lady Blackbird, and “RELAX” even passes through your ear canals like chewing gum. Marc Almond interprets LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD so endearingly and softly that the scene of love’s battlefield seems obscured by a shifting pink veil.

Worthy of note are SWIMMING POOL, brilliantly performed by Tori Amos and STEPPIN OUT by Seal.

If I had to find a positive adjective for Echoes Ancient & Modern, I would probably describe the album as “easy to listen to.” There is no doubt that it was very professionally produced, but without the rough edges that we are accustomed to in Trevor Horn’s works.

Well, maybe I didn’t want to believe that the Earth had turned and that my taste in music might still be somewhere between the 70s and the 90s, because when I listened to the originals shortly afterwards on the occasion of the album, I found myself wondering about the new album just the question why?

Echoes of Trevor Horn Old and New is available on CD, vinyl and downloadable.

At this point we would like to point out the interview that Sven Rossog and Torsten Böhmer conducted with Trevor Horn a few days ago. Please click here.