Soul Searchin' (Glenn Frey album)
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   link |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [1] |
Soul Searchin' is the third studio solo album by Glenn Frey, the guitarist and co-lead vocalist for the Eagles. The album was released in mid 1988 on MCA in the United States and the United Kingdom, four years after Frey's successful album, The Allnighter and eight years after the demise of the Eagles. The album features eight original songs co-written by Frey with Jack Tempchin and the song "Two Hearts" contributed by Frey's friend, Hawk Wolinski. The album also features contributions from fellow Eagles member Timothy B. Schmit, Max Carl, Robbie Buchanan, Michael Landau, and Bruce Gaitsch.
The album was received negatively by the majority of music critics, while other reviewers noted good points to the album. It was also not as successful as Frey's previous albums (although one of his favorites),[2] peaking at #36 on the Billboard 200, which marked the beginning of a downturn in Frey's fortunes on the album charts. The album's first and leading single, "True Love", unlike the album, was a commercial success, peaking at #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and so was the second single, the title track ("Soul Searchin'"), which peaked at #5 also on the Adult Contemporary.
Background
Frey began work on the album in the midst of a string of hits in the 1980s, as well as animosity between him and other members of the Eagles. The album's title refers to his efforts to find his own identity.
Musical direction
When Frey was asked about his musical direction, he said "In a sense I'm working my way back home, Though I left Detroit and went to California to cut my teeth on country-rock, I've remained obsessed with the music of my adolescence, the great soul hits of the 60's and early 70's. It's a style that most black musicians have abandoned for dance music and rap. There are a whole lot of people who miss the sound of Sam & Dave, and Wilson Pickett. It's left a gap that is being filled by people like Steve Winwood."[3]
Critical reception
Reviewing for AllMusic, critic William Ruhlmann wrote of the album "the songs here were so interchangeable with those on his first two albums he apologized for it in his note about "True Love," which became the album's sole Top 40 hit. The music was pleasant, but inconsequential, and suggested that Frey, living off his Eagles royalties, had come to think of his solo career as a hobby."[4] In a review for The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992), Mark Coleman gave the album one and a half out of five stars and wrote that "Frey sounded like he wasn't even trying anymore; his pump-your-body TV gym commercials at the time displayed more sweat and effort".[5]
Track listing
All songs by Glenn Frey and Jack Tempchin, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Livin' Right" | 5:07 |
| 2. | "Some Kind of Blue" | 4:40 |
| 3. | "True Love" | 4:40 |
| 4. | "Can't Put Out This Fire" | 5:04 |
| 5. | "I Did It for Your Love" | 4:00 |
| 6. | "Let's Pretend We're Still in Love" | 4:51 |
| 7. | "Working Man" | 3:25 |
| 8. | "Soul Searchin'" (Frey, Tempchin, Duncan Cameron) | 5:38 |
| 9. | "Two Hearts" (David Wolinski, James Newton-Howard) | 4:01 |
| 10. | "It's Your Life" (Frey, Steve Thoma) | 4:58 |
| 11. | "It's Cold In Here" (Frey, Cameron) | 3:48 |
| Total length: | 46:24 | |
Personnel
- Glenn Frey – Lead vocals, synthesizer, bass, guitar, percussion, piano, drums, keyboards, backing vocals
- Additional musicians
- Barry Beckett – Synthesizer, piano, keyboards
- Bill Bergman – Saxophone
- William Bergman – Saxophone
- Robbie Buchanan – Keyboards
- Duncan Cameron – Guitar, backing vocals
- Max Carl – Backing vocals
- Dave Chamberlain – Bass guitar
- Steve Forman – Percussion
- Bruce Gaitsch – Guitar
- Roy Galloway – Vocals, backing vocals
- Al Garth – Saxophone
- Roger Hawkins – Drums
- Heart Attack Horns
- David Hood – Bass guitar
- Institutional Radio Choir
- Paul Jackson Jr. – Guitar
- Russ Kunkel – Drums
- Michael Landau – Guitar
- Ralph MacDonald – Percussion
- Chris Mostert – Saxophone
- Steve Nathan – Keyboards
- Prairie Prince – Drums
- John "J.R." Robinson – Drums
- Timothy B. Schmit – Vocals, Backing vocals
- Ron Skies – Keyboards
- Neil Stubenhaus – Bass guitar
- Steve Thomas – Keyboards
- Julia Waters – Backing vocals
- Maxine Waters – Backing vocals
- Oren Waters – Vocals, backing vocals
- David "Hawk" Wolinski – Synthesizer, keyboards
Production
- Producers: Glenn Frey, Barry Beckett, Elliot Scheiner
- Engineers: Ray Blair, Dan Garcia, Alec Head, Glen Holguin, Jack Joseph Puig, Elliot Scheiner
- Assistant engineers: Vickie Lancaster, Mike Harlow, Jim Singer
Chart performance
Album
| Chart (1988) | Position |
|---|---|
| North American Billboard chart | 36 |
| Canadian RPM chart | 37 |
| Swedish Sverigetopplistan chart | 36 |
Singles
| Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| "True Love" | Adult Contemporary | 2 |
| "True Love" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 13 |
| "True Love" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 15 |
| "True Love" | UK Singles chart | 84 |
| "Soul Searchin'" | Adult Contemporary | 5 |
| "Livin' Right" | Adult Contemporary | 22 |
| "Livin' Right" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 90 |
References
- ^ Coleman, Mark (1992). "Glenn Frey". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 265. ISBN 0679737294.
- ^ http://blog.dnevnik.hr/zinhof/2012/08/1630966466/font-colorffffffmp3320kbps-cbr-scans-infofont.html
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/14/arts/the-pop-life-013688.html
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/soul-searchin-mw0000652427
- ^ Coleman, Mark (1992). "Glenn Frey". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 265. ISBN 0679737294.
- Classic Rock Sheet Music Hits. D Coates - 2004 - books.google.com
- October 10, 1988Vol. 30No. 15Picks and Pans Review: Soul Searchin'[1]
- http://www.billboard.com/artist/glenn-frey/62230#/album/glenn-frey/soul-searchin/7349/review