Howard Jones - Dialogue (2022)

Still relatively fresh from the release of his last two albums – 2015’s stylistically diverse Engage and 2019’s return-to-Synthpop-roots Transform – the 1980s-peaking New Wave purveyor Howard Jones is back with yet another collection of new music.
Coming out on Friday, September 9, 2022, via DTox/BFD/Orchard Records, Jones’s new offering goes by the title Dialogue. Highly anticipated among dedicated fans, it marks the third of the quadrumvirate of records that included the two aforecited albums, and the still forthcoming Global Citizen which is slated for release sometime in 2023.

Produced by Jones himself in collaboration with Ronnie Bronnimann, Dialogue also marks his second proper studio album since 2009’s Ordinary Heroes. Complete with eight new songs, the album opens with the celebratory Dance Pop of the aptly titled “Celebrate It Together.” It then swiftly takes the listener back to the ’80s Pop glitter and New Wave glamor via the ensuing “Formed by the Stars.” Then with a bit of gloomy and hopefully sentimental, “My One True Love” is a heartrending ballad. A midtempo piece, it will fit well onto a retrospective playlist that includes Ultravox’s “Vienna,” Depeche Mode’s “It Doesn’t Matter,” and Camouflage’s “Love Is a Shield.”

The beat then flows seamlessly as “Be the Hero” pulsates and inspires. Still in synthesizer territory, “Who You Really Want To?” plays next, lifting the spirits a bit higher with its flickering melodies and driving rhythm. Moving on, “You Are the Peacemaker” changes the mood slightly – a tad groovy, a bit funky. Then the listener becomes also a dancer as they gets ready for the discotheque sensibilities of “To Feel Love.” Finally, the reinvigorated Jones ends his Dialogue with the full-on Funk Pop glory “I Believe in You.”

Now 67-year-old, as a singer-songwriter, composer, and keyboardist, Howard Jones is truly one of Synthpop’s pioneers and remains the genre’s eternal flag-bearers. Thirty-eight years after the success of his chart-topping first singles – “New Song” and “What Is Love?”- with a dozen albums led by 1984’s Human’s Lib, and the ensuing year’s Dream into Action, Howard Jones ensures that his creativity and prolificacy are yet to fade out. Dialogue is another testament to that. So, look forward to getting a copy of it to be able to converse with him once again… both in music and in spirit. Well worth the time, and leaving us curious to hear Global Citizen, Cryptic Rock gives Dialogue 4 out 5 stars.

Tracklist
1. Celebrate It Together (3:41)
2. Formed By The Stars (4:56)
3. My One True Love (4:13)
4. Be The Hero (3:51)
5. Who You Really Want To Be (4:29)
6. You Are The Peacemaker (4:17)
7. To Feel Love (5:11)
8. I Believe In You (4:23)