Under The Influence

Looking for an album devoted to Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines ?? You've come to the right place.

With a lineup of guests including Florence & the Machine's Florence Welch, Tori Amos, Steve Earle and Santigold, the 22-track tribute features a diverse mix of thoughtful ballads and disco-influenced dance numbers.

“Here Lies Love” begins with an opening disco number with Imelda at a disco in the late 1970s, where she spent time with all the “beautiful people—Christina Ford, George Hamilton and Henry Kissinger. “Here Lies Love” is what she was quoted as wanting inscribed on her tombstone.

The disco opera ends with Imelda and her maid contemplating the sacrifices they have made. As the Marcoses are airlifted out of the country during the People Power Revolution, Imelda says she doesn’t understand why the people don’t love her anymore, and she looks forward to her vindication and a triumphant return.

Cyndi Lauper's giddy vocals on "Eleven Days" and Róisín Murphy's horn-driven "Dont' You Agree?" offer the most lasting thrills on the album.

And winning duets include Candie Payne and St. Vincent on the breezy "Every Drop of Rain" and Byrne's emotional collaboration with My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden on "Seven Years."

At times, "Here Lies Love" wobbles as a concept album, and listeners unfamiliar with Marcos' story may not initially understand the lyrical conceits. But it contains enough solid material to justify repeated listens.