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There You Are Again
There You Are Again
Current price: $17.99
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Once you make it past the sappy opening
that overloads syrupy
-styled strings, after-school-special lyrics, and a guest duet from
, all of which make it sound like a
outtake,
's first studio album of new material in nine years finds its footing. The song does set the tone of this disc, though, finding the younger
in a particularly upbeat, love-the-world mood. The following tune,
unites
siblings
and
for the first time on one of
's best tunes. A lovely mid-tempo
with a lilting melody and a snappy electric guitar fill from
, it is a capsule of everything
does well when the parts fit. There is still no mistaking the similarity to older brother
, at least vocally, but these songs shade more to classic
,
, and
. The extended wait between albums has paid off in the immaculate production devoted to each song. A crack band including pros such as drummer
, keyboardist
, saxist
, and bass player
meticulously brings each tune to life, although the disc's slick production and pristine recording sometimes undermines the singer's rootsier influences.
conducts a
choir on the
and the
vocals of
help bring the religion on
shifts into a
mood on
helped enormously by vibe master
. All told, it's a delightful outing, a little on the cutesy, some might say cheesy, side with tracks such as the playful
and the good-natured
-styled
-
But that's
's personality and world view and he genuinely sounds like he's enjoying himself on this upbeat, generally smile-inducing collection. Bouncy, bubbly, sometimes whimsical, but never pretentious, the album finds an established yet often overlooked veteran comfortable with his life and his art. ~ Hal Horowitz