ROBERT DOWNEY JR.
The Futurist
Sony Classical
· After starring in the 2001 Elton John video "I Need Love," Downey goes all the way and makes an album.
Musicians often resent actors who have the opportunity to make CDs without first experiencing years of obscurity and hard work, and Robert Downey Jr. does himself no favours by thanking one of The Futurist’s producers for introducing him to the idea of a chorus. If he sounds like an actor reading for the role of Bruce Springsteen or Peter Gabriel, it’s because he’s auditioning for the part of serious artist here – even as he undermines his I’m-working-my-manuscript cover photo by holding a Sharpie.
If you can’t separate Downey’s music from the fact that he’s a famous person, you’re not expected to. When Downey obscures the confidentiality associated with Alcoholics Anonymous by incorporating the Serenity Prayer into "Broken," or covers "Smile" with jazz-talent-for-hire Charlie Haden and Alan Broadbent (suggesting he’s taken his identification with Charlie Chaplin too far), they resonate against his public persona. Downey reveals an ingratiating charm on The Futurist that has probably kept him from being totally unemployable in film. He multiplies the hippie sensibilities in Yes’s "Your Move" with a winning
eagerness and his own compositions – especially "Kimberly Glide" and "Little
Clownz" – have a brusque, if square, appeal. You may want to briefly give in to Downey if you believe music is too important to be left only to musicians.
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