A nifty idea for a compilation, Twenty-One Good Reasons: The Paul Carrack Collection gathers not only
Carrack's solo hits, but all the major songs by other artists on which he sang lead:
Ace's Top Five smash "How Long,"
Squeeze's
new wave classic "Tempted,"
Mike + the Mechanics' "Silent Running" and the number one ballad "The Living Years," and two duets with
country singer
Carlene Carter from her 1981 album Blue Nun. As such, it's the definitive overview of
Carrack's career. If you're a somewhat anonymous journeyman, you don't stick around as long as
Carrack has, or participate in so many different projects, without demonstrating your versatility.
Carrack shows himself to be comfortable with bright, bouncy
pop, post-
new wave roots rock, smooth
adult contemporary, and sentimental ballads. But his true forte is the sort of
blue-eyed soul that became popular in the post-
Hall & Oates era. His clear, soulful pipes are already in evidence on the four selections culled from his tenure with
Ace, which bridges into the
Squeeze and
Carter songs, and then into 12 selections culled from his solo albums. There are a couple of fine
Nick Lowe co-writes in "I Live on a Battlefield" and the early hit "I Need You," plus a fine cover of
Jackie DeShannon's
folk-rock classic "When You Walk in the Room." The high point is
Carrack's terrific 1988 Top Ten hit "Don't Shed a Tear," a catchy, modern
blue-eyed soul track that fit comfortably into Top 40,
adult contemporary,
and mainstream rock radio, and even landed him some MTV airplay. Even if
Carrack's production is far more synthetic than one usually associates with the term "
soul," he proves himself quite a solid stylist over the course of this surprisingly ingratiating collection. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
