bob_tomato's Full Review: High Adventure by Kenny Loggins
I'm not exactly sure why Kenny Loggins felt the need to name this recording High Adventure, nor do I have any clue why the cover art is slightly reminiscent of pulp fiction magazines from the thirties…there is no song title or lyric "high adventure" in the album - oh wait a minute, the album came out when Raiders of the Lost Ark was creating box office magic for Spielberg and Lucas. If you consider his regular contributions to movie soundtracks (Loggins is an excellent resource when playing Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon) it could be that he liked the idea of starring in his own adventure film. But I'm still puzzled about the title of the album – perhaps he is referring to the adventurous use of his higher falsetto range?
Whatever the reason, Kenny's High Adventure is a transitional album in which Kenny explores a lot of musical territory – hey, maybe that's the theme… He covers a lot of ground here, venturing into pop rock, pop r&b, pop lite jazz, pop ballads, dance pop and other pop-ular sounds. Remember what I taught you about Kenny's music in my review of The Essential Kenny Loggins Collection? The man KNOWS pop inside and out and he writes his songs for the masses. Usually, his songs were good, not always critically great, but good enough to land him consistently in Top 40 radio throughout the seventies and eighties.
High Adventure is definitely one of Kenny's better efforts, and features a few of his very best songs. So, how about the bad news first? Well, the bad news is that Kenny seems to be trying really hard in some places to sound like other bands of the era, sort of an early eighties version of JC Chasez's recent copyfest Schizophrenic. Consider It Must Be Imagination - it starts out with the sounds of a rainstorm and what could almost be called a brief attempt at being The Police which turns into Styx before finally settling down into lite jazz territory. How about Swear Your Love? I've been trying to figure out if that's really Lindsey Buckingham giving an uncredited vocal/guitar/songwriter performance – I can't find any proof of it, but it sure sounds like the Fleetwood Mac veteran to me. Imagination is not a very imaginative song, and it's certainly not adventurous, though Swear is actually a pretty good Mac-esque rock song.
Another rock track is the opener Don't Fight It in which Loggins and fellow high tenor, Steve Perry of Journey (enjoying monster fame at the time with the album Escape) fight between themselves to see who can vocalize the highest note in the song (Perry wins). It's fast paced, exciting, completely unintelligible lyrically, and it sounds really really forced – but it's FUN, especially for those of us tenors who can't hit those pitches but try really hard anyway to sing along with the track when there is no one else to hear us.
You'll want to sing along with the impeccably classic Heart To Heart, one of the best songs Loggins ever wrote, featuring Michael McDonald on backing vocals. I assume that you've heard this song – I don't think you can listen to adult contemporary radio very long before this one gets played. Most people will search through stacks of Doobie Brothers or McDonald albums, looking in vain to find this song before they find out it’s on High Adventure. Loggins and McDonald blend their voices beautifully, the instrumentation is light, a jazzy groove on electric piano with sax waiting in the wings, and David Sanborn lets it rip with one of the best solos of his illustrious career…
One other particularly good song is If It's Not What You're Looking For, though it can't decide between being angry pop rock or feel good dance pop – it's a strange two-faced song, but the chorus is just so impossibly catchy, you can't help but pinch it's cheeks. I Gotta Try is another dance pop/jazzy number that works pretty well, and McDonald contributes vocals to this one too.
Loggins is at his most schmaltzy with the two ballads on High Adventure, and while they are both beautiful, they will probably only appeal to the Air Supply crowd. The More We Try is an acoustic guitar ballad, soaked in lots of layered vocals sung in a very breathy falsetto – now, I have to say that if I were to pick anyone to sing falsetto on a recording for me, I would go with Loggins since he is just so good at it. But there are limits to how far you can take things with falsetto, and this one strays into the ridiculous at points. Kleenex required for the Air Supply Army, the rest of you should skip the track and go straight into Heart to Heart. Loggins also goes for the tear ducts with Only A Miracle, a fully orchestrated love song with a beautiful melody and lots of sensitive male lyrics. It's Mrs. Butterworth for your ears – gooey, thick and oh so tasty, if you like that sort of thing. Again, lots of falsetto and schmaltz.
What really sells this album for me is the stellar lineup of musicians who contributed to it. Loggins always recruited the best in the business to play on his records, and High Adventure benefits from their strong contributions. There is a nice lite jazz element throughout the record (Tom Snow, Nathan East, James Newton Howard) when it's not busy trying to rock (Steve Lukather, David Paich), and the dance tracks bop nicely with excellent bass/percussion precision (Abraham Laboriel, Paulinho DeCosta, Lenny Castro). And of course, there are the backing vocals (Mr. Mister's Richard Page & Steve George, plus Michael McDonald).
All things considered, High Adventure doesn't actually ever get adventurous, but it does cover a lot of ground in the pop genres of the era. Loggins brought along many excellent supporting artists to help him on this journey, and some of his best work is featured in this album. There are a few skippable tracks, but nothing TRULY horrid. Despite the title, you aren't going to find yourself wanting to put on a dusty fedora and carry your trusty whip when you listen to this recording, but you could find yourself venturing into the unknown if you try to hit some of the high notes to be found in some songs.
Pull up your shorts, pilgrim, and sing like the Duke…
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Kenny Loggins - High Adventure
Originally released in September, 1982 by Columbia Records
All lyrics quoted here are the copyrighted property of Kenny Loggins Original Track Listing
Don't Fight It (featuring Steve Perry) / Welcome To Heartlight / I Gotta Try / Swear Your Love / The More We Try / Heart To Heart (featuring Michael McDonald) / If It's Not What You're Looking For / It Must Be Imagination / Only A Miracle
This album has been certified as Full To Burstin' And Chock Full O' Stars. The musicians contributing to this album could form an Eighties Hall of Fame all on their own, either as stars in their own right, or as highly sought after studio musicians. Here is a partial list of the artists performing on High Adventure:
Michael McDonald / Steve Perry / Richard Page / Steve George / David Foster / Steve Lukather / David Sanborn / Nathan East / Abraham Laboriel / Tom Snow / James Newton-Howard / Paulinho De Costa / Lenny Castro / David Paich
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
FALSETTO ALERT SYSTEM
MAGENTA: Severe
CORAL: High
SAFFRON: Elevated
TEAL: Guarded
SAGE: Low
High levels of falsetto activity, distinguished by primary and secondary harmonic characteristics, have been detected in this area. Citizens are advised to seal all windows with duct tape and to remain inside their homes until further instructions are broadcast on this station.
Musical Director of Homeland Security Paul Lorentz wishes to remind us all of the perils that falsetto vocalization presents within our great society. Won't you do your part and help spread the word about the evils of abusive singing? Visit the Department of Homeland Security office, located downtown in the Andrew Ridgeley Memorial Federal Building, for more details.
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Related Links The Essential Kenny Loggins Vox Humana
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