Genre Pop, Rock
Evaluation As I was looking at the album contents I was amazed by just how many great songs this duo has had. As there is no way I am going to review them all I will hit on the best of the best. Believe me this was not easy to do. But before I do that let me tell you something about Hall and Oates if you have never heard of them or their music (which is unlikely unless you live in the North Pole). Daryl Hall has one of the most distinct voices in pop music and is really the heart and soul of this group. John Oates compliments him nicely but the truth is, you could have put Daryl Hall together with just about anyone and still come up with a winner. Please don’t take this as a knock on John Oates. His writing style may have had more to do with the teams success than even I would like to admit. But I digress. As soon as you hear any of their songs you know immediately that it’s them. They are easily as recognizable as The Beatles or The Beach Boys. Their music is that unique. And while it is unique it still manages to span so many different styles as you will see in my top 5 selection. This duo can and has done it all. They are back together again after a long split. I haven’t heard any of their new material yet as I have been a little busy. But if you want to get a good dose of their past then this is the album to get. Here now are my top 5 selections. Boy was this hard.
1) Rich Girl ’’You’re a rich girl and you’ve gone too far’’ This song has no intro. It just starts, takes off and never stops. One of the most infectious pop songs I have ever heard. The arrangement is perfect, their harmonies are perfect, heck, this song is perfect. The album is worth getting just for this song alone.
2) Kiss On My List Another pop song similar in style to ’’Rich Girl’’ yet so different. This was also a big hit for them and rightfully so. I never got tired of hearing this tune and believe me they played it to death. The piano work on this is so catchy it’s almost hard to explain. Hall’s patented ’’scream’’ at the end of the bridge and beginning of the last chorus is just classic. Makes you want to scream along with him.
3) You Make My Dreams A little bouncier than the first two. This is another purely infectious tune. Hall’s other patented ’’Owwww’’ at the end of the bridge is almost comical. This song is not to be taken too seriously. It is just a ton of fun, something Hall and Oates is great at doing. Another Hall and Oates classic.
4) Did It In A Minute I don’t know how Hall even sings the chorus to this as it is a tongue twister in it’s own right. This is another unbelievably catchy pop tune that has Hall and Oates written all over it. Another one that I never got tired of hearing.
5) You’ve Lost That Lovin Feeling That’s right, a remake of the Righteous Brother’s hit that is, dare I say it, better than the original. The orchestration and re-arrangement on this is brilliant. Usually I don’t like remakes. This is one time where I actually didn’t really care for the original and when I heard the remake I was floored. If this song doesn’t convince you that Hall and Oates are pure geniuses then nothing will.
Bottom Line: Having given you my top 5, let me now say that the other songs are also very good. ’’Sarah Smile’’, their first song, is so different from anything else they’ve done. The only thing I don’t understand is how they didn’t include ’’She’s Gone’’ on this album. Other than that I can find no fault. So if you want to hear some of the best pop stuff to come out in the last 25 year then this is one album you have to get.