Search - Roger Hodgson :: In the Eye of the Storm

Strong solo debut from Supertramp vocalist

Wayne Klein | My Little Blue Window, USA | 07/06/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Combine the best moments from In The Eye of The Storm with Brother Where You Bound? and you'd have the best Supertramp album since Breakfast. Clearly the conflict between Davies' musical direction for Supertramp and Hodgson couldn't be resolved, so Hodgson made the break and put together a strong collection of solo material.The best material here holds its own with his best Supertramp songs. Always tuneful and full of hooks, In The Eye Of The Storm overcomes the "solo album curse" of many artists. Nevertheless, there is enough second rate material and preachy lyrics to make one wish that Hodgson and Davies had been able to reconcile their differences. Although lyrically sharper than Davies' songs for Brother, Eye lacks both a sense of adventure and an edginess that one had come to expect from the band.All of that said, it's still a pleasant album that manages to overcome its weaknesses. Certainly Davis and Hodgson (like Lennon & McCartney, Jagger & Richards and other songwriting teams)need each other more than they'd care to admit. Eye reminds me of some of George Harrison's less distinguished albums; there's a considerable amount of craft on displace and clearly the heart's in the right place, but there needed to be someone to edit the material into a strong, conhesive set. It doesn't help that Hodgson plays most of the instruments himself. A band might have breathed more life into the album as well."

Supertramp's Roger Hodgson Goes Solo

Alan Caylow | USA | 05/29/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Roger Hodgson, singer/songwriter, musician & founding member of the successful group Supertramp, left the band in 1983 after their tour for "Famous Last Words" was completed (creative differences with Supertramp co-founder Rick Davies were said to be the cause of Roger's exit). He made his solo debut in 1984 with "In The Eye Of The Storm," and, if you love Roger's work with the 'Tramp, then you'll most certainly love his solo stuff as well. "In The Eye Of The Storm" features all the musical trademarks that Hodgson brought to Supertramp's table---his classic falsetto voice, his amazing keyboard & guitar work, and his knack for writing fabulous melodies and dramatic musical elements. "Had A Dream (Sleeping With The Enemy)" is a Hodgson classic, with some clever, thinly-veiled lyrics about leaving Supertramp and striking out on his own. "In Jeopardy" is my personal favorite from the album, a brilliantly catchy piano-thumper. Also worth mentioning is the beautiful song "Lovers In The Wind," and the astonishing album-closer, "Only Because Of You," a truly haunting, memorable number. I can only guess that Roger Hodgson named his debut album "In The Eye Of The Storm" because that's precisely the situation he found himself in at the time, leaving a mega-successful band to forge his own path. Some would say that he was crazy to leave Supertramp, but, as Roger sings in "Had A Dream," "But it's time, gotta take a stance/'Cause I won't get a second chance/And I know now I have to make it alone." And he certainly has---Roger Hodgson's "In The Eye Of The Storm" is a most excellent album."

Perhaps my favorite album of all time.

apathid | 01/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first solo album by Supertramp's Roger Hodgson, is perhaps my favorite album in a collection of over 600 disks. The 7 songs cover a wide range of styles, from the Pink Floydish "Had a Dream (Sleeping with the Enemy) to the light "In Jeopardy" which sounds most like a Supertramp song, to the beautiful & haunting "Only Because of You". I bought this record when it first came out, then spent years trying to find a copy on CD & am very glad to see that it is available again. The music is amazing, but after looking at the personn el & find only a few people on a few songs, it was astounding to see that Roger did this almost by himself. If you like it, look high & low for the follow up "Hai Hai"."