Look into the Eyeball

1	U.B. Jesus
2	The Revolution
3	The Great Intoxication
4	Like Humans Do
5	Broken Things
6	The Accident
7	Desconocido Soy / NRU
8	Neighborhood
9	Smile
10	The Moment of Conception
11	Walk On Water
12	Everyone's In Love With You

Barnes & Noble

When he's on his game, as he is on Look into the Eyeball, David Byrne's non sequiturs balance startling revelations and wry humor. The ironic "U.B. Jesus" begins with a plea to a girlfriend, "Hey be my savior," then moves to "Jesus'll kill you if you don't get along," then concludes, back with the girlfriend, "Baby, you are the only car I drive." By the end, you may ask yourself, How did I get here? -- although you know you enjoyed the ride. Musically, Byrne's seventh solo album tones down the high-concept constructions common to many of his past works. As he's been doing since his days in the Talking Heads, Byrne dabbles in rhythms, from the driving funk of "The Moment of Conception" to the Latin-flavored "Desconocido Soy" (with a cameo from Café Tacuba's NRU) to the lilting ode to jealousy "Everyone's in Love with You." But almost all the songs come with strings attached. String arrangements soar with '60s pop innocence on the gospel-accented "Walk on Water"; they sweep Philly-soul style on "Neighborhood" and "Like Humans Do" (thanks to arranger Thom Bell's classic touch); and they are sweetly theatrical on "Smile," which echoes Charlie Chaplin's famous song of the same name. In lyrics and music, Look into the Eyeball is full of surprisingly insightful juxtapositions. Steve Klinge

All Music Guide

It goes without saying that any David Byrne solo release will be all over the sonic map, and true to form, Look Into the Eyeball provides a pancultural stew of musical styles, exotic rhythms, and international guest stars. But what separates Eyeball from Byrne's previous offering, the only-fitfully successful Feelings, is a renewed emphasis on lush, natural sounds and consistent production. Nearly every track boasts strings and/or horns, and the textures go a long way in unifying Byrne's insistent genre-hopping. Tracks such as "Smile," "The Revolution," "The Accident," and "Everyone's in Love With You" best demonstrate his new approach: Spare melodies are layered atop subtle, percolating rhythms and then filled in with evocative string arrangements. Better yet, Byrne's two collaborations with legendary Philly soul producer Thom Bell -- the buoyant "Like Humans Do" and "Neighborhood" -- blend in effortlessly with the other material. Of course, old habits die hard: "U.B. Jesus" and "The Great Intoxication" are at once too slick and too simple, with muddled messages both musically and lyrically. (It doesn't help that the latter track features a cringe-inducing, self-referential "Who disco? Who techno? Who hip-hop? Who bebop?..." shout-out.) The remainder of the album vacillates between pleasant Talking Heads-ish pop ("Walk on Water") and accomplished if out-of-place forays into the Latin avant-garde ("Desconocido Soy"). It's hard to fault Byrne -- who produces an album every three or four years -- for packing as much as he can into one release. So it's best to view Look Into the Eyeball for what it is: an entertaining assimilation of the sundry artists and sounds he's gotten into since his last trip into the studio. Michael Hastings

Entertainment Weekly

His Great Solo Album, folding his obsessions with Afro-Cuban rhythms, Brazilian art song, American soul-funk, and workaday surrealism into perhaps his sweetest melodies ever.

Mojo

The former Talking Head has rarely sounded so vital.