album, recorded on the Isle of Capri – it shows. "Cut Your Roses Down" thrusts like dancing hips; "The Gift" spreads into a long, raw, messy rocker; Chrissie Hynde's backing vocals give the bluesy title track a nice grimy touch; and "I'm Only Looking," about curiosity and temptation, features a squeaking horn, menacing guitar and the wanton refrain "taking me deeper and deeper."

But elsewhere, INXS sound like they're dressing up in other groups' costumes. "Days of Rust" (whose lyrics – "Dirty money/Washed rich/Suck me, honey/It's a cinch" – are less racy than silly) has the fuzzy guitar and post-punk monotony of Big Audio Dynamite. Michael Hutchence's smooth, deep vocals on "I'm Only Looking" resemble Bryan Ferry's. And on "Kill the Pain," Hutchence sounds as if he were actually mimicking Hunky Dory-era David Bowie. Thankfully, on "Time," with its guitar and vocal counterpoint, the band sounds like itself, and Hutchence resumes the instinctive swagger that made him a video star. (RS 676)

CHRISTIAN WRIGHT