Soul Searchin'
I have been a fan of Glenn Frey longer than I can remember, and while all his albums are standouts, each seems to be for a different reason. His little musical experiments on Soul Searchin' (like the no snare, just snaps of "Some Kind Of Blue" and his homage to Philadelphia Blues on "Let's Pretend. . .") create a unique listening experience and a fine example of what a good songwriter can come up with, just by carrying on as far as possible with his own distinct sound.
"Livin' Right" is the best song Glenn's ever kicked off an album with, while the album closes with one "Your Life", of his most memorable love songs. Two personal favorite songs of mine are "Can't Put Out This Fire", and "Working Man" which show two different, but excellent facets of Glenn's musical talent. Also, the choral-heavy title song is an enchanting centerpiece which foreshadows the tones of his mastercraft "Strange Weather".
The other songs are nothing to skip over either, unless you don't mind missing something from one of the 80's & 90's coolest solo artists. Now that I have the CD, I notice that the bonus track "It's Cold In Here" sounds like it was left off "The Allnighter", but it's still a terrific song. I look forward to hearing new music from Glenn soon, and like his fellow former Eagles, I hope he never changes. Glenn Frey's solo career has never been an attempt to duplicate the Eagles' sound. Instead he has turned out R&B-flavoured ballads, blue-eyed soul and mainstream easy listening, and even though "Soul Searchin'" wasn't very popular with reviewers, it does contain some really fine songs.
When I first heard it I frowned at the extremely 80s-like fitness-anthem "Livin' Right", which kicks off the album, and I've never really become friends with that one. It sounds like something from a commercial.
But the rest of the album is generally very good. "Two Hearts", "It's Your Life" and the slightly Springsteen-like "Working Man" have certainly dated since 1988, but they're nowhere near unbearable, and Glenn Frey turns out some truly lovely, well-arranged ballads as well, most notably the sax-laden "Some Kind Of Blue" (I love that saxophone solo!) and the slow, longing "I Did It For Your Love".
The groovy soul stompers "True Love" and "Can't Put Out This Fire" are highlighted by a wonderful horn ensemble, as is the more pop-oriented "Let's Pretend We're Still In Love".
"Soul Searchin'", the title track, is a R&B-tinted ballad with some fine string arrangements and organ playing and a female backing choir which gives the song an almost gospel-like flavour.
"Livin' Right" is the best song Glenn's ever kicked off an album with, while the album closes with one "Your Life", of his most memorable love songs. Two personal favorite songs of mine are "Can't Put Out This Fire", and "Working Man" which show two different, but excellent facets of Glenn's musical talent. Also, the choral-heavy title song is an enchanting centerpiece which foreshadows the tones of his mastercraft "Strange Weather".
The other songs are nothing to skip over either, unless you don't mind missing something from one of the 80's & 90's coolest solo artists. Now that I have the CD, I notice that the bonus track "It's Cold In Here" sounds like it was left off "The Allnighter", but it's still a terrific song. I look forward to hearing new music from Glenn soon, and like his fellow former Eagles, I hope he never changes. Glenn Frey's solo career has never been an attempt to duplicate the Eagles' sound. Instead he has turned out R&B-flavoured ballads, blue-eyed soul and mainstream easy listening, and even though "Soul Searchin'" wasn't very popular with reviewers, it does contain some really fine songs.
When I first heard it I frowned at the extremely 80s-like fitness-anthem "Livin' Right", which kicks off the album, and I've never really become friends with that one. It sounds like something from a commercial.
But the rest of the album is generally very good. "Two Hearts", "It's Your Life" and the slightly Springsteen-like "Working Man" have certainly dated since 1988, but they're nowhere near unbearable, and Glenn Frey turns out some truly lovely, well-arranged ballads as well, most notably the sax-laden "Some Kind Of Blue" (I love that saxophone solo!) and the slow, longing "I Did It For Your Love".
The groovy soul stompers "True Love" and "Can't Put Out This Fire" are highlighted by a wonderful horn ensemble, as is the more pop-oriented "Let's Pretend We're Still In Love".
"Soul Searchin'", the title track, is a R&B-tinted ballad with some fine string arrangements and organ playing and a female backing choir which gives the song an almost gospel-like flavour.
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