After turning some heads with his debut,
Billy Squier
truly arrived with 1981's
Don't Say No
, which kicks off in spectacular fashion with the triple opening salvo of
"In the Dark,"
"The Stroke,"
and
"My Kinda Lover"
-- all of which become staples at
rock
radio. The album is a near-perfect example of early-'80s melodic
hard rock
, and even less enduring (but hardly inferior rockers) such as
"You Know What I Like"
"Lonely Is the Night"
keep up the intensity. And
Squier
also finds time for the occasional
ballad
, like the disarmingly gentle
"Nobody Knows."
Completists may want to review his mid-'90s double-disc anthology, but as far as studio albums are concerned,
is undoubtedly his best. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia