Barry Manilow’s effort to return to the soulful pop music scene might get him a few extra minutes in the spotlight , but his trademark croon did little to inflate a flagging story arc about the quest for fame. 15 Minutes

Barry Manilow

Stiletto Entertainment

B-

Barry Manilow’s effort to return to the soulful pop music scene might get him a few extra minutes in the spotlight , but his trademark croon did little to inflate a flagging story arc about the quest for fame.

He released his latest album, 15 Minutes, recently. The new production is Manilow’s return to writing with the help of songwriter Enoch Anderson.

The album follows the life of an unnamed person who attempts to gain superstardom. Manilow’s songs track his protagonist’s successes and failures, pulling the listener into a story through the lyrics.

Manilow claims Andy Warhol, the Pittsburgh-native pop artist, inspired his album with the quote, “In the future, everybody will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” Throughout the album, the theme clearly traces the feeling of the quote, and Manilow even derives his album title from it. The first track, called “15 Minutes,” is about a man looking for his time to be famous, including lyrics like, “Don’t let me be an untold story.”

But that unifying message doesn’t necessarily make an album great. Manilow’s songs seem sporadic, without a clear sound throughout the album. The lack of clarity is confusing and turns the songs into a dissociative conglomeration of music. Manilow tries so hard to create a theme that he fails to create a cohesive sound.

One song, however, stands out among the rest. “Letter From A Fan/So Heavy, So High” is Manilow’s only duet on 15 Minutes. Nataly Dawn, lead singer of Pomplamoose, accompanies Manilow and takes the role of a deranged fan obsessed with the album’s protagonist.

The eerie song switches from a slow tempo to a fast one in a jarring transition. The acoustic-guitar track transforms into a rock-infused song with lyrics that test the protagonist’s strength as a star. Though not a totally enjoyable song, it is definitely the most memorable because of Dawn’s disturbing performance, singing creepy lyrics like “Remember I sent you a picture? / I know all the names in your band / I was the girl wearing yellow down front / I was the first one to stand,” in an uncomfortably normal voice.

Still, Manilow’s iconic persona radiates despite the less-than-thrilling compilation. His voice, in typical Manilow fashion, swoons from song to song, and the primarily upbeat sound is refreshing.

Without the restricting theme, Manilow could have produced a good album; because of his vision, 15 Minutes falls short of fameworthy.