Switch [Enhanced]

Switch, INXS's first release since re-fashioning itself as a prime-time reality show spectacle, could earn somebody an A in sociology. A poll of inter-generational hipsters is bound to show that the degree to which you like it correlates directly to your age. The over-30 crowd--those who once shimmied to the late Michael Hutchence's hugely sexy vocal turns on hits such as "Need You Tonight" and "What You Need"--might have a hard time dissing it, mainly because J.D. Fortune succeeds so unswervingly at imitating him. On the other hand... there it is: imitation doesn't always sit well with the generation that recently ripped into Paul Rodgers for parading around stages as Freddy Mercury, and as much as 30-something rock sophisticates will want to relive INXS's heyday, they'll do so suspiciously without Hutchence at the helm. Younger fans, on the other hand--the ones that discovered the band on reality TV--can enjoy J.D. Fortune and co. without reservation, and they will love this disc best. For them, "Devil's Party" (reminiscent of "Original Sin") will arrive without reference, thereby making near-impossible funk-rock coolness seem new. Ditto that effect on "Pretty Vegas," a vampy number co-written by Fortune that owes its guitar riff to "Devil Inside." "Like It or Not" and "Hot Girls," two other standouts, also go a long way toward peeling away the poser tag Hutchence fans may want to affix to Fortune, but may not entirely remove it. For some fans, Hutchence's "Never Tear Us Apart" plea is a personal thing. --Tammy La Gorce

Classic rock band INXS returns with a new album along with a new lead singer! After choosing JD Fortune as the new lead singer for INXS on the hit reality show Rockstar, the band is back with a new fire in their songs but with just as much passion for the music as they did with the late Michael Hutchence. Their new album Switch features 10 smokin' new tracks including their new single and chart-topping hit 'Pretty Vegas'! Epic. 2005.