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From the Kate Moss cover pic to the A-list of guest stars (Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, Flea, Nile Rodgers, others) to the reunion with original Roxy Music members Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, and Andy Mackay, Olympia screams, "EVENT!" That is, it would if a Bryan Ferry album could scream at all. It can't — Ferry is as cool and debonair as ever on his first collection of new material in eight years. He has said that he "toyed with" the idea of recording Olympia as a full-blown Roxy reunion album, then changed his mind — and though the presence of the group's other key alumni is intriguing, the three don't stand out appreciably among the large cast, and the final result bears little resemblance to classic Roxy. It does, however, offer a suitable survey of the various styles in which Ferry has trafficked in his solo career. The leadoff "You Can Dance," intended for that purpose, is somewhat leaden despite its three bassists, but Ferry quickly rebounds on sonically rich tracks like "Me Oh My" (with Gilmour and Eno), the closing "Tender Is the Night" (with only Steve Nieve's moody piano and Radar's washes of electronics), and the back-to-back covers, Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" and Traffic's "No Face, No Name, No Number."
