Duran Duran - Notorious (CD 1993)

When the original line-up split in 1985, fans mourned and critics assumed the Duran Duran franchise was finished. Not without reason - solo projects on the go, two members gone and having to be their own managers must've been hard, but they managed to come back with an average sort of album despite the pressure.

Working with production genius Nile Rodgers once again, "Notorious" demonstrates Duran Duran reaching for white funk with more bass and brass and less synth. Although they don't do a bad job, Duran traditionalists might find this hard to accept if they expect a repeat of previous albums.

The album does contain some gems however, most notably the singles "Skin Trade", "Meet El Presidente" and the title song which are great pop records - all about women incidentally. I would reserve the rest of the album for fans or people into a funkier 1980s sound though as the three singles can be enjoyed on other Duran collections. Still, at least they tried under difficult circumstances where most would've thrown in the towel.