Search - Timothy B. Schmit :: Playin' It Cool

Tim B Finding his feet as a solo artist

Mitchell Howard | Havelock North, NZ | 04/17/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Timothy B Schmit the angel voiced bass player with the Eagles and previously Poco, displays a wide variety of styles on Playin it Cool. From pure vocal harmony`s with minimal back up on Voices (which was originally put up for the Long Run - Eagles)and So Much in Love (off Fast Times at Ridgemont High)to rockin out on Gimme the Money, to typical LA Soft rock (good soft rock) on Lonely Girl,Take a Good Look around You and Tell Me what you Dream. The latter three songs are the highlights of the album being more what is expected from Tim in terms of lyrical content and great vocal delivery in the sad song vein that he does better than any of his former band colleagues. OK this isn`t a great album you`ve gotta luv Tim but it is essential if you are lookin at his whole career. Timothy B and Tell Me the Truth are about the same quality whilst Feed the Fire is a giant and brilliant leap forward."

Not bad, but needs more

Dave | United States | 03/20/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Timothy B. Schmit released his first solo album in 1984 with "Playin' It Cool", & it's a respectable effort that's quite enjoyable, although there are some unfortunate problems. You really get the impression that this album is something of a hodgepodge that had been recorded over the course of several years following the Eagles final studio album ("The Long Run") prior to their initial disbandment--the fact that one of the tracks here, "So Much In Love", had been previously released on the "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" soundtrack in 1982 adds further proof to this suspicion. Plus, "Voices" is a tune Schmit had during the Eagles "Long Run" era, and "Tell Me What You Dream" just TOTALLY sounds like it was recorded in 1980 or '81 (3 years tended to make a big difference back then), and I imagine it probably was. All that said, "Playin' It Cool" sounds like an assortment of tracks from various projects that were ultimately compiled into one album, resulting in a somewhat weirdly varied tone. A bunch of the tracks here find Schmit trying to rock out, with lukewarm results--the plodding "Something's Wrong" is exhaustingly rote & tossed off, plus the synths heighten the annoying corporate rock feel of the song; the more lively and relatively short "Wrong Number" is much better, though it's nothing extraordinary; the album closing "Gimme The Money" is respectably riffy, but the 'macho' corporate rock feel is rather annoying. On the other hand, the album opening title track is a blast with its surf-rock flavor, super cool guitar riff, and enthusiastic Schmit vocals; the coda, which runs on for over a minute, is a tad excessive, but it's still one of the most infectious feel-good songs ever. There are a couple of nicely stripped down tunes that showcase Schmit's impressive command of harmony vocals--the cover of "So Much In Love", which isn't a great song in the first place, is still nicely done; "Voices", although it has Schmit's impressive harmonies, is unfortunately a rather dull (and short) tune. The three remaining tracks are soft rock/ adult contemporary songs--Josh Leo's "Lonely Girl" is a catchy tune, but the demo-like arrangement of it here, with its drum machine and blaring keyboard sound, does it a disservice (it was done much better by Crystal Gayle on her 1986 album "Straight To The Heart"); "Take A Good Look Around You" is a solid, tuneful ballad; and the arresting, atmospheric "Tell Me What You Dream" is totally reminiscent of "I Can't Tell You Why", and it's a terrific, moody soft rock tune in its own right (unfortunately, the group Restless Heart did a clearly inferior version with a carbon-copy arrangement that became a big hit). Overall, although "Playin' It Cool" is quite uneven, any serious Eagles/ Schmit fan should find it to be an interesting, worthwhile album that definitely has its moments. As usual, Wounded Bird did a nice job with this CD version--the sound quality on the disc is excellent."

Yeah, it's cool

Amy D. | Orlando | 02/06/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a mix of rock, ballads, and Timothy's love of cool, soulful music. The most solid cuts are the title track and "Tell Me What You Dream." Classic, not-to-be missed performances are on "Voices" (now I know why people talk about it) and and his rendition of "So Much In Love," where Timothy does his own breathtaking backup vocals. Some others could be hits for the Eagles, although they would need the touch of Henley and Frey to polish the lyrics and to give them endings-"Wrong Number," "Lonely Girl," and "Something's Wrong." Timothy fans must have this CD."