ANT, ADAM - Manners & Physique (Sealed) (CD)

For his 1990 comeback album and first new release in five years, Adam Ant turned to old Prince crony Andre Cymone, who transformed him into a dance music singer, producing and playing all the instruments on contemporary dance tracks, over which Ant's longtime partner Marco Pirroni played lead guitar and Ant himself contributed appropriately rhythmic vocals. Some of the lyrics had his old flair for mockery, but, like most dance music singers, he came off as only a part of the production, rather than its focus. Nevertheless, the makeover was good for a U.K./U.S. Top 20 hit in "Room at the Top" and respectable chart peaks of number 19 (England) and number 57 (America), a big improvement over 1985, when he looked washed up.