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(More customer reviews)Phil Collins has never been in better voice than he is on "Going Back," his valentine to the musical influences - namely, Motown and soul of the 60s - that informed his early years.
True, he rarely breathes new life into these songs. It would be a lie to say he transforms into a full-on song stylist. The core audience for these tunes, however, is not looking for that, and the rich, well-informed voice he uses to navigate the record is still a damn fine pleasure to hear. His enthusiasm and vivacity cover the album like wallpaper.
The song selections are also excellent. "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me for a Little While)" (The Doobie Brothers) rolls and tumbles with excitable energy, and the slightly overlong but well-arranged "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" (The Temptations) has a fine-honed, frothy disco-like flavor that throws an interesting curveball to the proceedings.
He can't fail with the likes of the swashbuckling, boundlessly frenetic "(Love Is Like a) Heatwave" (Martha and the Vandellas) and the timeless "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" (Stevie Wonder). This is pop music as it should be - a great singer with great songs to sing.
Of course, new material would be welcome from Collins, who has not released a record since 2002's uneven but enjoyable "Testify," so in light of that "Going Back" may seem like a disappointment in theory. We all know that it takes only slight thought and little effort for someone like Collins to enter a recording studio and whip-up a CD that sounds more like karaoke than covers.
However, that is not the case here. Collins may not re-stylize these songs or cover new ground with them, but he displays passion and dedication to the project through every track. This is not just a vanity project.
The only major flaw in the record's execution is that 29 songs are on the deluxe version. 29! There is the standard 18-track CD and the 25-track deluxe version which includes an audio rip of 4 more additional songs on the accompanying bonus DVD.
The project would have surely had more focus had Collins chosen to slim down the track listing or possibly released the albums in two volumes. Since there are so many songs there is no thematic focus, giving the album sudden dramatic changes in mood, shifting between melancholy tunes like Stevie Wonder's "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" and more boisterous material like "Standing In the Shadows of Love" (Four Tops) in slightly jarring fashion.
It certainly would have been a much more noteworthy project had Collins chosen fewer songs and taken the time to rearrange, reinterpret, restyle - in short, try something new - with them.
"Going Back" will dissapoint fans who want new material, but it is a well-wrought, slickly produced, ear-pleasing collection of tunes. It may not be particularly remarkable, but it is certainly welcoming to hear Collins' honeyed voice again.
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A deeply personal labor of love that finds the eight-time Grammy winner, Phil Collins, faithfully recreating the Motown and soul music that played such an influential role in his creative life. Due September 28th, 'Going Back' marks the 2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee's first new studio album in eight years. Phil recorded the album along with three of Motown's legendary session players, aka The Funk Brothers bassist Bob Babbitt and guitarists Eddie Willis and Ray Monette. 'It shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone that I've finally made an album of my favourite Motown songs,' explains Collins. 'These songs along with a couple of Dusty Springfield tracks, a Phil Spector/Ronettes tune, and one by the Impressions make up the tapestry, the backdrop, of my teenage years. I remember it as if it was yesterday, going to the Marquee Club in London's Soho and watching The Who, The Action, and many others, playing these songs. In turn I'd go out the next day to buy the original versions. My idea, though, was not to bring anything 'new' to these already great records, but to try to recreate the sounds and feelings that I had when I first heard them. My intention was to make an 'old' record, not a 'new' record. To be able to have three of the surviving Funk Brothers play on all the tracks was unbelievable. There was one moment when they were tracking 'Heat Wave' that I experienced a wave of happiness and wonder that this was actually happening to me! I learned more about production skills and the wonderful songwriting of those concerned whilst making this album, than I have from anything else. To those pioneers... much love and gratitude.'
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