Glenn Frey – 鈥楢fter Hours鈥�
Glenn Frey – ‘After Hours’
On the latest solo album from Glenn Frey, the longtime founding member of the Eagles gives listeners a peaceful, easy feeling by offering a smooth collection of classic love songs from the ’40s through the ’60s.
“After Hours” is Frey’s first solo album since 1992’s “Strange Weather.” I have to admit that it was a little odd hearing Frey turn into Nat King Cole on album opener “For Sentimental Reasons.”
Of course, Frey isn’t the first rocker to turn soft by tackling pop standards. Rod Stewart jump-started his career by covering the classics from his “Great American Songbook” series while Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr both delivered heavy doses of nostalgia on their latest albums.
I was hoping for the more traditional sound Frey had delivered on Eagles’ classics like “Take It Easy,” “Tequila Sunrise,” “Already Gone,” “Lyin’ Eyes” and “New Kid in Town” or on solo material like “Smuggler’s Blues,” “The One You Love” and “You Belong to the City.”
While a few of the arrangements such as “My Buddy” and “Route 66” come off a little bland, Frey simply shines on Brian Wilson’s beautiful “Caroline No” and Randy Newman’s “Same Girl.” Equally enjoyable is Burt Bacharach’s “The Look of Love,” although it’s
not near the level of Elvis Costello and Bacharach’s collaboration on the stunning “Painted From Memory” from 1998.
Frey seems to have made a seamless transition from rocker to crooner with “After Hours.”
While it’s a nice enough diversion for romantic settings or late-night unwinding, let’s hope there’s new material from the Eagles in the works to fill the rest of the day.