OK Plat, here is my take on the songs.
01. "All By Myself" - Love the very sincere lyric, the Harrisonesque guitar solo, and the classical break, thanks for pointing out that aspect of Eric Carmen, I could really see it when I heard that break. Always very refreshing to here such a sincere and genuine song.
02. "Hungry Eyes" - So the pop instincts and abilities are incredible, as with all of these. The lyric, I wish would go a little beyond and examine what the hunger in the eyes is really all about, something deeper that shouldn't come off as only skin deep.
03. "Make Me Lose Control" - Great chorus, again suffers from a lyric that suffers from the anti-climactical "OK, well then what's the point of life, just having an orgasm with someone?" But other than that it was clever the references of Jenny and he old favorite songs, it was a clever lyric as far as that goes. But again, like the previous song, the lyric is firing a gun and missing the target. It's like "let's just get lost in doing it, since there is nothing else to do."
04. "Almost Paradise" - Great vocals to a great song. But like Phil Collins, worships the relationship over why do men and women get married anyways, and who created this male-female dynamic, and what is the meaning of life. Great pop song structure and melody that does a Phil-Collins-special for the lyric, again, namely worshiping the relationship itself instead of The One who made the two people in the relationship in the first place, and contemplating the whole meaning of it all and life in general.
05. "That's Rock'n'Roll" - Classic rock and roll song, with one of the all-time great choruses. I never get tired of this one. Like the spirited live take. Lots of grit in the vocal and guitar for this live performance. Very cool. Other than that, get a haircut dude, my scalp feels sweaty just looking at him, ha ha.
06. "She Remembered" - Guess everyone hopes they're not forgotten from a past relationship that meant a lot to them, whatever type of relationship it was. Captures the sentiment well.
07. "Never Gonna Fall In Love" - Probably one of the best songs ever describing how a heartache feels, to the degree that I can excuse any of the touchy-feely sentimentality for this one.
08. "Sunrise" - Kind of reminds me of "Tightrope", with the majestic intro breaking into a cool rocker. Always liked this song, goes down like a hopeful prayer.
Fantastic bridge, and can hear the classical touches in it, adds to it a lot. Nice spirited outro.
Star Rating: 4.3 out of 5
Prime Cuts: "All By Myself", "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", "That's Rock and Roll", and "Sunrise" (guess I must be a big fan of the self-title album! ha ha)
Bottom Line: One of the all-time great pop-rock writers and vocalists, as showcased by these songs.
Thanks platypus, really enjoyed playing these; even for any gripes about the "not quite getting the full picture" of 2, 3, 4, and 6, they were still very fun and engaging tracks. Will mark you down for the next open spot!
Jim