"Air Supply is a group who has been vastly underrated, and I'll tell you why. We all know they started out with pretty maudlin ballads, that were predictable, although they WERE great songs. With "Making Love Out of Nothing At All," the Australian duo ventured out into a new area---the bombastic Jim Steinmann song demonstrated their vocal talents, and Graham Russell's vocals started maturing. Russell Hitchcock is obviously the "voice" of Air Supply, and it is his soaring, unbelievable tenor that took them to such great heights.
Once they started doing their really creative stuff, such as on "The Earth Is," and this great gem, their audiences diminished and the once hit-guaranteed duo fell to the adult contemporary wayside.
I love "The Vanishing Race"---other than the trite "Kiss Me Like You Mean It," this collection gives us Air Supply at its best. The soaring, anthemic "It's Never Too Late" still manages to give me goosebumps with its countervocals; "I'll Be Thinking of You" which is really a solo by Russell is gorgeous; the way he phrases his words, and the accompanying string arrangement are simply beautiful. "The Vanishing Race" is haunting in its Indian-like chants and the hushed narrative at the end. "Evidence of Love," and "Too Sentimental" are great, too; they have just the slightest touch of that old blue-eyed soul attributed to Hall and Oates. The entire set is worth listening to. If you've never been a fan of Air Supply, listen to a couple of the tracks off this and "The Earth Is." Also, listen to "Unchained Melody" from their "News from Nowhere" CD; it's a wonderful version of this chestnut; and then listen to some of the tracks from "Book of Love." These guys are good, and they have deserved more longevity on the adult contemporary charts than they have received. The music world still has room for dreamy romantic ballads, and these guys are some of the best!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED."
Wonderful!
Cowboy Ben | Philippines | 07/15/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If there was a song that defined this album, it's "Goodbye". To me, this song simply made buying the album worth every cent spent on it. From "It's never too late" to "i'll be thinking of you", this album is on of my personal favorites..."
Outstanding
full_o_luv | Savannah, TN | 03/12/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"They've done it again. Although I think the melody of "It's Never Too Late" is a little sloppy, this album is stupendous!I love the up beat charms of "Too Sentimental" and "Kiss me like you Mean It". "Goodbye" is such a soothing song after a harsh break up. This is an awesome album.God bless y'all"
Baby, these chills aren't because I'm cold!
full_o_luv | 02/01/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wow. This is definitely one of their best albums ever. "It's Never Too Late" is absolutely incredible. Russell sounds so amazing! That guy's got some pretty powerful pipes! The song "Faith" has a tune that is very difficult to sing, but Russell hits every single one of those notes perfectly. You gotta admire somone for that. And I do. The emotion throughout most (if not all) of this CD is very melancholy, the theme of most of the songs dealing with shaky relationships, infidelity and the like. "Goodbye", written by Linda Thompson and David Foster (who wrote most of the songs for Josh Groban's CD), is amazing. SUCH a great song! There is no way to describe the feeling. I still get shivers. "Don't Tell Me" is somewhat a semi-powerful ballad; it's very nice and gives Graham a chance to shine. And he does, very brightly indeed. The final song, "I'll Be Thinking Of You", Russ singing so beautifully on it, is a good "last song". One of those end-of-the-day, light-fading kind of songs. Everything about him is just...wow. If you are looking for one of the greatest albums they have put out, do not miss this one!!"
"Goodbye" makes the whole album worth to buy
Humberto Mejia | Perth, Australia | 12/01/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Luis Mejia (son) - The second Air Supply album from the '90s proofs the band can still survive after their top place in the '80s. The Vanishing Race is also a fans favourite of all time, and it was also a huge hit in Asia. Its a very melodic album with their classic romantic features, not a masterpiece and still not better than The Earth Is..., but songs like "Goodbye", composed by the legendary David Foster, may be my personal favourite of all time because being such abeautiful and sincere ballad, "Too Sentimental" is also a song pick wich keeps a perfect and soft adult contempo feeling. "Its Never Too Late" became also a minor hit, too repetitive but enjoyable, "Faith" is one of Air Supply most truthful and sincere songs, while "Kiss Me Like You Mean It" is almost as good as "Too Sentimental". The acoustic "Evidence Of Love" and the native american theme of the title track "The Vanishing Race" are also minor picks. Some dull moments surround the album, but if you've heard already their most recognizable albums and themes, The Vanishing Race will fit just fine."