Search - Hall & Oates :: Beauty on a Back Street

Somewhat Darker and Daring

G. YEO | Singapore | 12/12/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The 70s were underway and while everyone was going disco around them - Hall and Oates resolutely marched onwards to their own beat. This is actually a brave album balancing commercial pop with a rawer sound. Experimentation wasn't dead yet. Why I like this album is the mix of edge and soul behind the songs. "Don't Change"; "Why Do Lovers.."; "You Must Be Good For Something" and "The Emptiness" are just some of the most compelling tracks Hall and Oates have recorded. Hall had at this point, enough talent to write any pop ditty he wanted, but caught between the bubblegum pop and rockers of their time - Hall and Oates fit somewhere in between.



It sounds like the duo needed to get some stuff out of their system. I like the abandon of "You Must Be Good for Something" and the soul searching of "Bigger than Both of Us." Not everything on this is imminently listenable, but the tracks that are, definitely stand out.



This may be one of the duo's forgotten albums (unfortunately), but has some of their most memorable tracks. Worth searching out if you need a H & O fix..."