THE COMMUNARDS
RED
LONDON
★★★★
Continuing the exemplary chronicling of Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles’ unlikely partnership, The Communards’ second and final album is as thorough as their self-titled reissue from 2021.
The B-sides of Red reveal an alternative world where they were cabaret stars: nearly all their flipsides have an air of Gershwin and Porter, either via covers or their own originals, especially the coquettish I Just Want To Let You Know. As its name implies, even pre-house banger Scat is buried in Somerville’s best improv vocals under the Eiffel 65-style riffs.