Rating: NN
That this William Shatner comeback album is called Has Been indicates the winking self-awareness at work here, which regrettably undermines any potential for the sort of unintentional hilarity we came to expect from his prior musical endeavours. Choosing a collaborator like Ben Folds, who co-writes, arranges and leads the band, negates any hope of impromptu over-the-top outbursts during Shatner’s carefully formulated recitations alternately accompanied by choirs and cooing vocalists. The few attempts at humour are corny and stilted, while his whispered account of his wife’s drowning in What Have You Done is just plain troubling.
