Christopher Cross – All Right – The Worldwide Singles 1980-1988 – 2 CD Set
While there’s no stitched insert with detailed liner notes or photographs & no individual musician credits. The 6-panel container is artistically colorful & the CDs provide 20 A-sides to Disc One & 11 B-sides to Disc Two. The compilation was produced for reissue by Cheryl Pawelski & Brad Rosenberger for Christopher Cross – All Right – The Worldwide Singles 1980-1988 – 2 CD Set (Dropped Nov. 14/Seeker-Omnivore/Warner Bros).
The opening tracks are familiar because they are the hits. It’s not pablum but not exactly the stuff of more serious songwriters. Mr. Cross has great arrangements & a solid sound to his mainstream pop. No doubt, “Ride Like the Wind” had a Doobie Brothers thrust (it even had Michael McDonald vocals). There are the reliable Grammy Award-winning era tunes like “Sailing,” with its Loggins & Messina-type soak. However, while Cross sings well, he may have only fallen victim to a limited style over the years. Singing aside, Chris was a good enough musician to be approached by Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen & Walter Becker.
“Deal “Em Again” has moments of brilliance, great guitar & drive. It’s fluent in synths. This double LP is a fine effort for a loyal audience satisfied with the fine playing, tight arrangements, & formal finish of a Christopher Cross showcase. Eliminate the synth orchestration & keyboards – add a real orchestra & “No Time For Talk” would’ve been tangy. A great Chris Cross vocal.
For me, the thing I found difficult wasn’t Cross as a musician & songwriter but the antiseptic sound of his production. If you like soul, you won’t find it here. These are by-the-book pop music songs, played exceptionally well. As time went by, the music got varnished & so perfectly buffed it lost its character. Cross’s voice is good, but it is often layered in sweet arrangements that can compromise his intonation. Although, there are moments when Chris speeds up in “Mary Ann” just before the sax solo where he sounds inspired. But the song is mired in way too many rhymes. It’s the music that becomes interesting.
Despite criticism, the song “Say You’ll Be Mine” is sung with heft & rock savviness. This is a cool version of Chris Cross. He can do it. For my taste, “Arthur’s Theme” was the beginning of losing his engaging way. I expected Chris to be a variation between Andrew Gold (“Lonely Boy”) & Kenny Loggins (I’m Alright”). Instead, he drifted into Ronnie Dove, Bobby Vinton & Lenny Welch land. He did maintain a viable musical slickness, but this was going beyond the Tin Pan Alley-Brill Building influence. Someone put too much sugar in the songbook.
I always had confidence in Mr. Cross since he wasn’t a marginal artist. He had an abundance of talent & skill but didn’t break out in a more thick-skinned style. Maybe his advisors were too mainstream, too focused on commercialism? I can’t say. Lots of Grammys. Maybe a gutsier producer would’ve been the answer. Maybe he should’ve taken that Steely Dan gig.
“Charm The Snake” has the muscle I expected. This is superb. It has that Kenny Loggins power that Kenny had on “Somebody Knows.” Momentum is a part of the musical score. And while Chris produced good material, the challenge seemed thin. But not on that snake tune. That was rockier, even soulful. Cross was kicking it aggressively. ‘50s R&R sweeps in with the well-nurtured pop of “That Girl.”
The 2nd CD contains B-sides to singles. Some are better than the hits. The playing is always tight & distinguished. “Minstrel Gigolo” has its synths, but it’s held down nicely by acoustic piano runs & a guitar solo that probably caught the ears of Steely Dan’s Fagen & Becker.
“Poor Shirley,” with its strings, is a slice of “Eleanor Rigby” in tradition. This is Beatlesque. Cross can’t be accused of writing filler since even his B-sides have substance. “Love Found a Home” has a Beach Boys harmonic introduction. There’s always something interesting in a Christopher Cross album. Never underestimate his musicianship.
Highlights – CD #1: (74:41) – “Ride Like the Wind,” “Sailing,” “Never Be The Same,” “Mary Ann,” “Say You’ll Be Mine,” “Charm The Snake,” “That Girl,” “Loving Strangers,” & “Someday.”
CD #2: (50:41) – “Minstrel Gigolo,” “Poor Shirley,” “Words of Wisdom,” “Love Found a Home,” & “Alibi.”
Color image courtesy of Chris’s Wikipedia Site. CD @ Amazon & Apple + https://www.christophercross.com/
