I had a premonition that the first randomly selected album would be Phil Collins. Honestly, I did. However, I wasn't even aware that this one was in there. I was thinking No Jacket Required, maybe. I'm not sure why I picked this up, or if I ever even listened to it. It's a little cheesy at points, but there are some nice surprises, and the songs, naturally, are excellently written.
With "I Don't Care Anymore", Phil comes out swinging; he's a bit pissed about a failed relationship. The drums are bombastic and the structure is interesting, with a McCartneyan bridge that appears only once in the middle of the lyrically bitter song. Good way to start out. I thought I might have an idea about how this album was going to go, but then "I Cannot Believe It's True" hits like a 80's TV theme song lost to time. The only redeeming thing about this cut is that if played at a dance party (or possibly aerobics class), folks would get down.
There's a lot of remembering on this album; specifically Phil remembering his huge hit "In the Air Tonight", from the previous year's Face Value. Twice, Phil sings "I remember" in almost the same way he does on that track. Also, in "Thru These Walls", the huge drums from "In the Air..." are replicated almost exactly. I don't mind, I love the way that drum machine sounds. "Thru These Walls" might be my favorite tune; the combination of the real and canned drums is really cool, and the vocal melodies doubled by the synth are great.
The cover of "You Can't Hurry Love", despite it's 80's production stiffness, has a considerable amount of soul. And the "Motown, we salute you!" in the liner notes is a funny touch. But, it seems a little out of place on this album.
"Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away", a nice piano ballad with synth swells, and "Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning", a glossy but effectively heartwrenching account of a fighting couple, showcase Phil's mastery of songwriting. "West Side", a sax instrumental with a Quincy Jones vibe, could have easily been worked into any number of Lethal Weapon movie soundtracks. Not necessarily a bad thing.
We have well drawn ballads that touch on themes of resignation, rejection, jealosy, and desperation. There's midtempo drum machine-driven songs that are Phil's expertise. And we have few upbeat, synthy dance tunes thrown in for good measure. And of course, we're treated to a ton of incredibly performed drumming. This might not be Phil's most cohesive or memorable album, but it's worth a listen.
Dance party songs: "You Can't Hurry Love", "I Cannot Believe It's True", "It Don't Matter To Me"
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