Search - Hall & Oates :: Voices (Shm)

Timeless H & O

Ace Jones | Singapore | 07/16/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hall and Oates made a big difference in my life back then. Watching them on Solid Gold singing "How Does It Feel To Be Back" - I was wondering - who are these guys? There was a certain fire to their pop and discovering this album was a goldmine. Little did I know that it was the sound of a duo hitting its peak. And what a peak it was. H & O would rule the charts for the next few years, and deservedly so.H & O have always tread the line between being commercial, mainstream and progressive. Voices captures the balance between these elements pretty well. Along with Private Eyes - these are my two favourite H & O albums. Classic, cool and intensely creative.The range in this album is eclectic and electric. Doo-wop soul in the form of Everytime You Go Away (miles away better than Paul Young's lite version); Rock in United State; Quirky pop with Gotta Lotta Nerve; Reworked Nostalgia with You've Lost that Loving Feeling and Top 40 hits all over the shop with Kiss on My List and You Make My Dreams. John Oates' solo songs are usually the minority on Hall and Oates albums but his groove here works.
The cover of the Righteous Brothers is also one of the very few cover songs that the duo ever did.It's hard to say which is the best Hall and Oates album - everyone has their favourite but Voices remains highly rewarding, and almost - just about perfect pop."

H20's Best Studio Album

Brian D. Rubendall | Oakton, VA | 07/21/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hall and Oates have always been better at producing great singles than they have at recording consistently strong albums. That said, "Voices" should (arguably) get the nod as the best of their original studio albums. It was also the album that started the duo on their great run of success in the early 1980s with the smash hits "Kiss is On My List" and "You Make My Dreams." But behind those obvious high points are some other real winners, including an ace cover of the Righteous Brothers' "You Lost that Lovin' Feeling," "Every Time You Go Away," and "How Does it Feel to Be Back," the latter being one of their catchiest non-hits. The rest of the material is filler, but not terribly so.Overall, "Voices" is one Hall and Oates album worth hearing beyond the obvious hits."

Their 2nd Best Album Ever! The One That Made Me a Fan!

Frederick Baptist | Singapore | 11/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Way back in my early teens, I'd heard "Kiss On My List" on the radio and I thought that that was the best song I'd ever heard in my life. I quickly got the album and found out that that too was one of the best albums I'd ever heard. That began a new love affair with the usual moments of love and hate thinking how the heck could you release such a lousy album if you care about your fans and the "thank you for the great work of art" moments as well throughout the years that followed.



Soon after "Voices", H&O released their best ever album, "Private Eyes" and I then decided to dig out every album these guys had done. It turned out to be one of the most rewarding things I'd ever done in my life.



What's unusual about this album though is that it actually contains a cover, the Righteous Brothers' standard, "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" that became a minor hit for them as well. Otherwise, all the other tracks are originals and flow very cohesively throughout.



This album was the great commercial breakthrough of their second coming into the pop mainstream. This version has been very well remastered and comes in a lp-sleeve design with all the lyrics in English and Japanese. Definitely THE version of the album to get if you are a H&O or rock and soul fan."