Search - Rick Springfield :: Venus in Overdrive

Rock solid, one of his best

Chris Rodriguez | Colorado, USA | 09/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, I've been a fan since "Jessies Girl", mainly because it really ticked off this girl I was after and it drove her nuts, then it just stuck in my head. Then "Tao" helped me get through a difficult spot in my life, and I was lucky enough to meet Rick and talk to him about what that album meant to me. Until now, Tao was my favorite (although could sound better with a cleaner production), but Venus In Overdrive is a great album and has topped Tao in my books, which is a tall order.



I may get some heat for this, but this is how I rank the songs on this album:

1. Time Stand Still

2. I'll Miss That Someday

3. What's Victoria's Secret?

4. Venus In Overdrive

5. Oblivious

6. 3 Warning Shots

7. One Passenger

8. Mr. PC

9. She

10. Nothing Is Ever Lost

11. God Blinked (Swing It Sister)

12. Saint Sahara



The first two are about as perfect as rock/pop songs can be, tempo changes, interesting chord progressions, strong lyrics and great hooks into the choruses. "Time Stand Still" would've been the perfect album opener how it starts, and how for many people it may be the first time in a long time someone grabbed a listen to Springfield. It tells of aging, and wanting time to, well, stand still. The first time I heard "I'll Miss That Someday" was in a recent Springfield concert, and I'm not always so forgiving when an artist, even one I like, trots out new material in concert. But this song got my and my sons attention (yep, a new generation of fans), it's solid rock and roll, and good wordplay that got a smile out of both of us. That's a great thing about Springfields music, you can figure out the lyrics without having to go find them. The moral to this song is realize what you have while you still have it.



How "What's Victoria's Secret?" didn't make it to a Victoria's Secret commercial is beyond me. This is classic Springfield with the obvious nod to "Jessie's Girl", which I have no problem with. I like artists to recognize and even celebrate what they've done before and it builds a connection for fans. Regardless, this is just a really good song. "Venus In Overdrive" reminds me of the "Hard To Hold" era, has a funky feel, and the background rhythm guitar sounds a lot like the type of guitar sound used on "Living In Oz" - again, I like that, I don't consider it some kind of travesty when an artist borrows from himself.



"Oblivious" is the classic story of it being better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all. I believe this ballad is about co-writer Bissonette's mother, and is a beautiful tribute. Great lyrics and production value. In "3 Warning Shots" Springfield says what a lot of us die hard Beatle fans have thought, putting John Lennon's assassin out of his misery. Pretty heavy stuff with a song to match it. Many of us took Lennon's murder personally, it's good to see Springfield feels the same way - and he sells that he means it.



"One Passenger" is a mixed bag, I don't really care for the beginning, the verses, or the overly repetitive ending. But what spares it is the second half of the verses leading into the chorus, the chorus itself, and the lyrics. "Mr. PC" (for Politically Correct) has a good message and driving rock and roll, and sounds like it could belong on Green Days "American Idiot" album. The chorus is so-so and gets a little old, but the idea and guitars bail it out. The Beatle influence in "She" is fairly obvious, and one I appreciate as it's done very well. I really like the intertwining vocal lines, the production value - it's all good. The only reason it's placed this low is really just a better fit after some rockers, because in all reality, it's one of the best songs on the album.



"Nothing Is Ever Lost" reminds me of "Tao's" "Tao of Heaven", and how that song led into another great song with "Stranger In The House", similarly this song would have been better sequenced leading into "God Blinks", making each one better. It's not that the former isn't a good song, it is. The latter is fair, including the sound which reminds me of Lenny Kravitz meets the Rolling Stones, but the chorus is only alright and goes on a little too long. "Saint Sahara" is a nice tribute to a fan. How often to you see artists devote a song, or in this albums case a couple, to a fan? That's the connection Springfield has always enjoyed with his fans, and he really shows his appreciation of them during his live shows as well. The CD booklet even includes hundreds of snapshots of actual fans, he's not faking his appreciation.



Overall, an excellent album. It sounds crisp and fresh from beginning to end, not overproduced, with great musicianship from Springfield and his backing band. This from a guy pushing 60, even McCartney can't pull off an album this good (and really hasn't for the last 25 years). I say that very carefully as, like Springfield, I'm a big McCartney fan. But as new material goes he hasn't impressed, Springfield on the other hand shows he still has all the skills he's ever had, and in many ways more, as this album is strong in all the important places: lyrics, vocals, music, production, hooks, surprises, and all the intangibles. Well worth the money."

GREAT ALBUM

M. Donato | 11/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I loved Rick Springfield when I was younger and honestly have not bought an album of his in many, many years. Went to see him recently and he sang a lot of songs from this album (at least 4 maybe more). Anyway I thought they were pretty good after only hearing them for the first time and would have bought the CD after the concert but they were sold out. Ordered it from Amazon and I really enjoy it. I find this to be one of those albums that you'll listen to all the way through again and again. Absolutely love Victoria's Secret (do not agree at all with the couple of reviews that are negative and say that there are no good hooks, melodies). I also love One Passanger, Oblivious, Mr. PC and Saint Sahara."

Possibly his best album ever.

Chris Crabtree | Kansas City, MO United States | 01/21/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My wife took me to a Rick Springfield show and I was not expecting to like it, but he and his band put on a fantastically fun and energetic show. They played several songs from the new album and I was immediately taken with "I'll Miss That Someday." The title track is one of the highlights here, as well. This is not a half-hearted attempt at a "comeback" album. This is songcraft at work. You can tell from listening that a lot of effort went into this album. I would say that if you add up all the great songs here and compare all the great songs on any of his other albums, you end up with more great songs on this collection. Recommend it."