Air Supply – The Singer and the Song (CD)

Now, Air Supply has to be behind the 8 ball when it comes to “The Singer and the Song”. First off is the fact that the band has not charted in a meaningful way for about 20 years, and secondly, that this is an acoustic album. Acoustic albums usually only get picked up by fans of the group, of which there quite a few still around (175,000 attendance at a show in Cuba), but what does “The Singer and the Song” have to really draw in anyone that is under 25?

Honestly, the disc has a certain energy to it that cannot be diminished by the dominance of the acoustic guitar; starting out with “Lost In Love”. For those individuals that have stuck with the band for the last few decades, there are hits here that are done in bold new ways. Immediately after “Lost In Love” ends, the wonderful duet of “All Out of Love”. The production of “The Singer and the Song” is interesting; it has all the power of an early Journey album without having any dated sounds to diminish Graham and Russell’s vocals. The next really big hit for Air Supply on this album has to be “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All”, which really works through having a number of layers. These layers play off of each other, of which the most interesting interaction has to be the vocal/guitar, which work at an inverse relationship throughout the track. The emotional weight of a track like “Yours Truly” really makes up for any slowness that the track may have; there seems to be a greater sense of nuance here that really is not as present during tracks like “All Out of Love”. The inclusion of another version of “All Out of Love” with The Celtic Tenors has to be one of the most interesting tracks on the disc.

This is due to the fact that Graham and Russell’s vocals are bolstered by the tenors, a move that increases the emotional involvement that any listener will have with this album. This should not be construed as a greatest hits package for the simple fact that the songs have little in common with the versions that originally made Air Supply major stars that many years ago. While most of these albums will be sold to older fans of the act, I have faith that some new listeners to Air Supply will listen to this album and become fans.

Top Tracks: All Out of Love (with the Celtic Tenors), Love & Other Business

Rating:6.6/10

[JMcQ]

Air Supply – The Singer and the Song / 2006 A Nice Pear / 12 Tracks / http://www.airsupplymusic.com / Reviewed 27 January 2006