The Guitar remained, the plaid suit did not.

Duran Duran - Red Carpet Massacre ***1/2 Epic Records Released: November 13, 2007     As popular as Duran Duran are, it is always amazing how they are noticed more for when they change their look than when they revamp their sound. I guess U2 and Madonna cornered the market on 'reinventions'. I shouldn't be so flip here, I mean U2 pulled it off grandly but Madonna needs to take her faux-British accent back to Milwaukee or wherever the hell she's from and just write another children's book. Where was I…?      Since 1981, Duran Duran (remember, the group that I was talking about at the beginning of this review?) have displayed an uncanny ability to undergo a sonic reinvention every two albums without ever receiving credit for their risk taking. So here we are in 2007, twenty-six years (and as many line-up changes) into their recording career and the band is feeling up for an overhaul once again.      Three years have past since the relatively safe-sounding Astronaut, their first full album with the original line up since 1983 and how things have changed! Original guitarist, Andy Taylor left the band (again!), leaving the remaining quartet to abandon the album they had completed in favor of a vibrant, new direction. The band gathered a trendy team of R&B hit makers including Timbaland, Nate 'Danja' Hills, and the current pop maestro himself, Justin Timberlake.      Let's get all of the preconceived notions one could have about this album out of the way before we continue. Or, to be more succinct, the preconceived notions that I had as the sordid details about the album started to emerge: they grabbed big name producers to make a splash, said producers actually co-wrote a majority of the material with the band when they never needed collaborators before, and brought Justin Timberlake onboard which is pure marketing genius as he can grab headlines and a new (i.e. younger) audience who probably would not be interested in Duran Duran otherwise.      That being said, and the fact that artists can not create an album on their own today without having 8,000 guest appearances; Red Carpet Massacre actually works. While the teaming of Duran Duran and Timbaland might sound like an unholy alliance at first, this is unquestionably a Duran Duran record.      Throughout the album there is an excitement, an edge that has been lacking from the Duran camp as of late as they reconnect with their dance club roots. Not since 1988's critically underrated (but fan favourite) Big Thing, has the group appeared this dedicated to the 'beat'. The Valley, Nite Runner, and Tempted crackle with a booty shaking intensity that has been absent from recent recordings. Unfortunately, the band's muse gets the best of them at times as Red Carpet Massacre doesn't cash in on its initial promises but when the muses align, the album certainly offers flashes of brilliance, like the sultry and sexy Skin Divers which features rapped vocals from Timbaland. Not essential Duran Duran, but they deserve respect for the fact that they are still willing to rattle their own (and our) cages after two and a half decades.      For those who want to splurge for the prerequisite, "Hey let's make 'em buy it twice" Deluxe Edition, prepare to be rewarded. Inside the elegant looking hard-cover box you will get an expanded booklet of the album's credits, a second photo booklet featuring outtakes from the album cover's photo shoot and a 40 minute DVD on the making of the album. Great documentary, completely worth the extra cash! In an era of skimpy 'bonus features' that reek of pure fan-gouging greed, this was a pleasant surprise. Nicely done. Popjunkie's Picks: The Valley, Skin Divers, Falling Down, Red Carpet Massacre