Animal Magic in Bloomington, MN

Another British band that incorporated
R&B
influences into its
pop/rock
sound,
the Blow Monkeys
(led by
Bruce Robert Howard
, aka
Dr. Robert
) scored a Top 20 single in the U.S. with the engaging
"Digging Your Scene,"
which featured nasal lead vocals and a swirling mixture of keyboards, guitar, and female background cooing. Like
Scritti Politti
,
possessed a quirkiness that set them apart from other bands of their ilk, which may have limited further success in the States. The band's 1986 album
Animal Magic
surrounds the hit with similar
pop
frivolities like the catchy
"Wicked Ways"
and the upbeat
"Don't Be Scared of Me."
Though the band overreaches a bit with the
ballad
"Heaven Is a Place I'm Moving To"
and the title track's silly attempt at exotica, most of
is pleasant and intelligent enough to make it a better-than-usual release from a 1980s one-hit wonder. ~ William Cooper