Search - Hall & Oates :: H2O

A little watered down--they're best when they go one on one

Tom Benton | North Springfield, VT USA | 01/12/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The kings of blue-eyed caucasian soul were at the height of their popularity when they produced "H2O" in '82. As far as listenability, this is one of their strongest records, but re-listens gradually shave off some of the glam to reveal watered-down, disruptive gloom. "Maneater," which might be too sexist even for a battle-of-the-sexes piece, is mighty good, as is their ridiculously fresh cover of Mike Oldfield's "Family Man." The structure of "Open All Night" is superb, and it makes an uninteresting concept that's lost its appeal after being used two thousand times seem pretty catchy again. But whereas most of their older songs seemed to be intended for a specific person, this collection seems too broadly-directed to work as well as it should. The crown jewel is "One on One," which is flawlessly produced, straight to the point, and delicious."