For the better part of the last decade Boy George has been best known for drug abuse, court cases and twitter spats. This is a sure-fire way to wind up as a z-list-has-been pop star on Celebrity Big Brother with the masses braying for a public meltdown, rather than being known as a serious musician. So it comes as a surprise after eighteen years that Boy George has released a new album of original material.

Produced by long time Boy George collaborator and Soul II Soul singer Richie Stephens ‘This Is What I Do’ sways between reggae and widescreen pop rock.  This formula was part of the enormous success of Culture Club, yet new single King Of Everything catches you off guard as it’s not what you would expect from a Boy George song. Mature and full-bodied, with chiming guitars, a string section and a choir, it is the sort of song you could imagine being produced by Guy Chambers or Bernard Butler. The biggest change is in his voice which has gained a gravitas and rasp. It really is a strong vocal performance throughout.

Lyrically it also shows Boy George’s love of making music has been reignited and sees him wondering if he can regain his status as a respected songwriter, “Have I lost my crown?/Will I be king of everything?”. On the basis of this album, the answer will be a no. It has highly polished production values, but it is too middle of the road to be truly vital listening. Tracks like My God, Death Of Samantha, Any Road are so refined that they leave a feeling of indifference. The second half of the album mostly consists of reggae with appearances from Dreadzone’s MC Spree and rapper Unknown MC.  Musically they stay well within their genre boundaries while lyrically they continue the theme of the comeback including a reference to Patsy Kensit on Nice And Slow “I’m just like Patsy/I got my sparkle back again”.

Boy George has reached a point in his life where he wants to display his maturity, but what this album wouldn’t have given for some of his roguish charm as it’s all too safe. The new change in vocal direction shows that there is worthy mileage for Boy George left to explore, but there is still some way to go before he came truly declare himself king of everything.

If Bog George’s music is your sort of thing , then check out Irish act Bitches With Wolves.