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The Cure finds one in its comeback CD

Glenn Gamboa | DROPS

June 29, 2004

Front man Robert Smith of the British band The Cure. The Cure is scheduled to perform in the Live 8 concert in England. (Keystone Photo / Mario Gaccioli, 2002)

The long-awaited return of The Cure starts tentatively, with singer Robert Smith repeating "I can't find myself," softly and slowly in "Lost" over a lone acoustic guitar.

Soon, his voice sounds more desperate as the musical backdrop gets darker and more dizzying, a bizarre concoction of crashing guitars strumming minor chords and looped noise. By the end of the song, Smith is still chanting, "I can't find myself," but that's not exactly true. He sounds like he's once again found his musical home.

Smith has tried to end The Cure several times over the legendary New Wavers' 28-year history, finally calling it quits after the tour for the band's disappointing "Bloodflowers" album in 2000. Ever a talented songwriter and skilled, emotional singer, Smith had begun coasting years ago, knowing that a couple of clever singles per album generally would be enough to keep his fans happy in their teased hair and black lipstick.

"The Cure" (I Am/Geffen) is different, however. On nearly every track, Smith seems to care - in part, because producer Ross Robinson, a Cure devotee best known for his work with metal heavies like Slipknot and Korn, forced him to. Robinson required the band members to record the songs live as a band, rather than having Smith doing his parts separately, as he had for decades.

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Oddly enough, aside from the pat first single, "The End of the World," easily the least interesting song on the album, "The Cure" is a stunner.

It's an album that would have critics in a lather if it came from a bunch of 20-somethings from the Lower East Side or one of the Cure-tinged bands, including Interpol and The Rapture, that Smith has drafted for his package tour, The Curiosa Festival, this summer.

The sneering "Us or Them," with its pounding bass and heavy guitars, may be the band's fiercest song since "Fascination Street" in 1989. The dark "Labyrinth" could have come from one of the band's early records like "Seventeen Seconds." However, Smith also tries to balance things out with some lighter, poppier numbers, like the charming "Before Three" and "Taking Off."

"The Cure" is the band's best album in more than a decade, a solid outing that shows Smith and friends can be just as potent as the countless younger bands they have spawned.

"The Cure," in stores today. Grade: B

BRANDY'S NEW START: Unfortunately, Brandy's new album, "Afrodisiac," needs a bit of explanation. The little girl with the big voice has grown up. She's a mom. She's divorced. And she's been hurt.

That's why "Afrodisiac" is filled with cheating men, hurt women and lots of should-I- stay-or-should-I-go? angst, turning many of the elegant, smooth- tracked Timbaland compositions into bummers. Occasionally it rises above it all, with the sassy first single, "Talk About Our Love," a stylish '70s groove crafted by Kanye West, and "Who Is She 2 U" a caught-in-the-act tale set to Timbaland throwback soul. Most end up like "I Tried," though. The song could've been Brandy's "Cry Me a River," except she ponders her role in the breakup instead of getting angry.

It sounds like Brandy needed to work out some issues privately before taking them to the public.

"Afrodisiac," in stores today. Grade: C

SONG OF THE WEEK: Not to be outdone by the Olsens and the Simpsons (no, not Homer and Marge, silly, Jessica and Ashlee) the Duff sisters, Hilary and Haylie, have teamed up for a remake of "Our Lips Are Sealed" (BuenaVista/ Hollywood).

Though The Duffs' delivery is nowhere near as spunky as The Go- Go's original, the pop-punkier guitar riffs keep things fun. Bet Lindsay Lohan wishes her little sis would hurry up and help her out.

Contact Glenn Gamboa at 631-843-3434 or glenn.gamboa@newsday.com.