release date: Oct. 11, 2001
format: cd (2002 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,36]
producer: Sananda Maitreya [aka Terence Trent D'Arby]
label: Sananda Records - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "O Divina" - 5. "SRR-636" - 7. "Suga Free" - 8. "What Shall I Do?" (4 / 5) - 9. "Testify" - 12. "Ev'rythang" - 16. "Goodbye Diane"
5th studio album by Terence Trent D'Arby, or: Sananda Maitreya as he has now changed his name to. The album is also filed as "Terence Trent D'Arby's Wildcard!" and "Sananda Maitreya's Wildcard!" or even as "Terence Trent D'Arby's / Sananda Maitreya's Wildcard!". And I do understand the various titles involved. Fact is, the album cover comes in (at least) two different versions. On Sananda Maitreya's official homepage the album is referred to as "Wildcard! - The Jokers Edition" (a 2002 reissue). However, all editions of the album contain a small circle with both "his" names in it: the "Joker"[!].
Anyway, the music is fine, almost as usual. The 'hard rock' element he has excelled in on the predecessor Vibrator from 1995 is completely absent, instead it's a more mellow and soulful 'neo-soul' release consisting of 19 tracks. It has been released on several labels: Rock On, Universal and D'Arby / Sananda's own label Sananda Records. Both the 2001/02 releases contain 19 tracks but doesn't have identical track listing. The version I have come to know is the reissue containing the fine "What Shall I do?", and two other tracks omitted from the original album version. The original release was an album by Terence Trent D'Arby produced by Sananda Maitreya, which hints to TTD's decision to officially have his name changed to Sananda Francesco Maitreya. He has released another 6 studio albums since the release of this album, none of which I have come across. Since 2002 he lives in Milan, Italy.
Wildcard! may not be a masterpiece but it surely deserves much more recognition.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]
<
show covers >
