A decade and a half after his last studio recording and a mere eleven months after the death of his jam buddy and collaborator T-Bone Wolk, blue-eyed soul king Dαяyl Hαll delivered a record that could have easily made my Top 11 of 2011, but didn't due to mere technicality and timing on my part.
Eclectic, groovy and difficult to place in any particular box as genre goes, Laughing Down Crying is remarkably listenable. Whether in jubilation or lamentation, these songs are some of the strongest I've heard from Mr. Hall since he & Oates cut H20 back in 1984, and that's not something I say lightly considering the quality of that particular period in his career.
That being said, there's not much New Wave or synth-pop or Philly soul here. Listeners are more likely to be reeled in by the low-key power pop of 'Talking To Myself', or perhaps seduced by the standout space funk shuffle of 'Eyes For You' (the keyboard line of which is a tongue-in-cheek nod to a certain hit by the duo back in '82). :P
Hark a gander at my 12th favorite record of 2011.
Try It
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