Description
Infectious doo-wop, carefree soul, harmonious pop a testament to music of Joels childhood
Another Joel blockbuster: Seven-times platinum 1983 affair includes Uptown Girl, For the Longest Time, An Innocent Man, and Tell Her About It
After making The Nylon Curtain, Billy Joel felt the need to exhale and get back to the carefree music of his childhood. He also met supermodel Christie Brinkley, who brought serious degrees of levity and romance to his world. In love, relaxed, and out to have fun, the singer crafted An Innocent Man, arguably the most easygoing and pleasing album of his career. Featuring four Top 40 pop singles and the same number of Top Five Adult Contemporary hits to grace the Billboard charts, the record remains a commercial staple.
An essential title in Mobile Fidelitys Billy Joel catalog restoration series, An Innocent Man is mastered from the original master tapes and pressed on 180-gram LP at RTI. The resulting presentation effortlessly outshines that heard on all previous editions of this 1983 set. Particularly, the effervescent harmonies now possess an airiness and extension that lends to realistic tonal decay. Instruments are balanced and placed on a wider, deeper soundstage, contributing improved to improved imaging and spaciousness. Joels voice, too, comes across with tremendous clarity, presence, and body. These songs have never sounded so contagious.
Whether floating on a cloud on the giddy Uptown Girl (check out his falsetto), doubling as both the lead and background vocalist on the reminiscent-themed The Longest Time, or tapping gospel undercurrents on the tribute Keeping the Faith,Joel revels in 1950s and 60s pop constructs, turning out amiable refrains and unforgettable moods. Love perfumes the air, and Joel cant get enough, and its a feeling he passes on to his listeners.
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