Customer Reviews

It's About Time

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Wow! Kenny Loggins has been writing and performing great songs on his records for three decades now. It only seems fitting that It's About Time should capture that unique spirit and soul that only Kenny can bring to the listener with his unmistakable voice.

The opening track "It's About Time" is certainly an upbeat song with a great r and b groove. I really love the fact that Loggins teamed up with Michael McDonald to deliver a song that kicks the album off with a "live" start.

"With This Ring" showcases Kenny's ability to capture audiences with another classic ballad song that still has a great groove. I love the guitar work as well as the vocal harmonies with Richard Marx!

"Alive N' Kickin" really does a good job of bringing Loggins' fans to his older stuff ("I'm Alright, and it has a good "Your Mama Don't Dance" feel to it). Again great guitar work, vocals, and keyboard arrangements by Kenny and Clint Black!

The next few tracks, "I Miss Us," "The One That Got Away," and "Brothers" are deep, personal songs, that remind me very much of Kenny's Leap of Faith record. They have such a good, heartfelt and soulful feel to them!

"This Is How My Song Goes," "Doin It Right," and "Undeniable Groove" really have a great presence on this record. It makes me feel like dancing, and I really get into these tracks!

Finally, the closing track, "No Other Voice" is such a good song that really captures Kenny's incredible voice and guitar playing that it makes me want to say "Encore!!" for the whole record. This is a great closing track, and it will really capture your heart!

I recommend this record to any Kenny Loggins fan! It certainly emphasizes all of the important feelings we have in our lives--love, peace, joy, trust, faith and hope!

Kenny Loggins truly is one of the great talents in the music business, and his new album is proof of that. His first studio album in six years, "It's About Time" delivers on all cylinders...you have some amazing ballads, some wonderful pop songs, a dash of country, soft acoustic songs, crazy funk, and some well-done rockers. Kenny's first single off this album, "With This Ring" is a beautifully smooth ballad co-written with Richard Marx. Marx also joins Loggins on the very touching "The One That Got Away" (a POWERFUL ballad about the scars of divorce left on parents and children alike) and "I Miss Us", my personal choice as the best song on the album and sure to be a hit on the radio. For fans of Loggins and Messina and 70's Loggins records, Kenny didn't leave you out on this one. "Doin' It Right", "Undeniable Groove", and "Alive 'N Kickin'" (with Clint Black) are great songs. If you were disappointed with Unimaginable Life and its new age tone and are hungry for Kenny's music the way it used to be, this album is for you. It is his best original work since High Adventure. Get this album (if for nothing else than for the AMAZING "I Miss Us")... you will be quite impressed and find yourself singing along to every song in no time. This is Loggins' best work in over a decade.

In his illustrious thirty years of making music, Kenny Loggins has provided his fans with irresistibly catchy and melodic tunes, and the media's disdain for his whitebread, hokey music. Ah, what do these guys know? While this CD doesn't put Kenny in any earth-shattering new light, it maintains his dignity as a polished performer with a voice that withstood the test of time. "With This Ring" could be a new wedding standard, if but the airwaves allow it. The title track is his blue eyed soul, complete with Michael McDonald's back ground vocals. "Brothers" is a plea for unity and love, something we could definitely use in this day and age. "I Miss Us" is one of those soulful ballads, tugging at the heartstrings.
I was surprised that Entertainment Weekly reviewed this CD a few weeks back and actually gave it a "B", focusing as they always do, on the age factor, and whether Kenny is in a comeback phase or ready for Geritol and Depends. Kenny Loggins is one of our finest performers, and he has transcended these stupid remarks and still gives us good music. His "December" is one of the best Christmas CDs released in years.
This is not his best effort, but it's still a darned good CD!

... reviews of Kenny Loggins's new album are written by Kenny Loggins fans. The man's musical life spans three decades. Who *doesn't* appreciate at least one Kenny Loggins song from that long, storied career? No, this album is not "Leap of Faith" or "The Unimaginable Life." Those albums were very consistent in tone and feel, comprehensive chronicles of a man's particular place in his life at a particular time. On "It's About Time," Loggins lets loose, collaborating with Michael McDonald (a long-overdue reunion), Richard Marx and Clint Black. I'm not much of a fan of country music, generally (it's just not my thing), but as someone who appreciates music in general, I can admire the songwriting and, more importantly, the fun that was had in making "Alive 'N' Kickin'." This album showcases Loggins's outstanding voice (the man can sing a falsetto way better than I'll ever be able to) in a number of styles, proving, once again, his range and artistry as a singer. There's almost a childlike quality to this album in its variety, as if he was working on the collection and followed his curiosity where it led him: "Ooh, it might be fun to do a country tune" one minute then "Haven't done much rock lately, let's do some of that" the next, with several of his amazing ballads tossed in because fans love them. Kenny Loggins has nothing to prove at this point. He's a legendary musician who makes music because he loves it, which is abundantly evident when he brings this album on the road. And, unlike many performers, he brings with him a palpable sense of gratitude to his fans who have given him the chance to live -- and thrive -- in a musical world.

Frankly, I always look forward to Kenny Loggins' albums. His refreshing blend of spirited, joyful exuberance and an often touching gift for intimate, heartfelt ballads has always reeled me in, and this album is no exception.

His long-delayed latest has plenty of both, with insistant rockers (It's About Time, Undeniable Groove) coupled with autobiographical ballads concerning his wife (I Miss Us), and his estranged son (The One That Got Away). Not to mention the first *real* rockabilly song since Footloose: "Alive 'N Kickin'" - which is retro 'look back' collaboration with Clint Black. Kenny also brings in old friend/collaborator Michael MacDonald for a number, obviously hoping for lighting to strike again.

Kenny's voice, which has always been a fascinating hybrid of bluesy virtuosity and child-like innocence, is very good here - just a little more aged: his notes now have a growl to them, but he can still sing in a wonderfully controlled falsetto, then turn around and belt out white soul with the best of them. In fact, he seems to be singing in his old vocal range, instead of the lower register he's been working with on the past few albums.

All in all, this album should be a true return to form after several years off, and in many ways it is: but the songs really aren't up to par with the best of his past. In particular, his songs with writing partner Richard Marx sound like nothing more than somewhat bland MOR power ballads, none of which really catch fire, and none of which are as powerful as Kenny's own compositions. They're not awful, just predictable and formulaic. Kenny's really his best with his own singer/songwriter gifts, coupled with his one-of-a-kind voice, and on "It's About Time" he relies too much on other artists' input, to negative effect.

But for this fan, it's great to hear new songs from Mr. Loggins, who has been keeping me waiting much, MUCH too long for this new music. Welcome back Kenny! Don't wait another 6 years!

After hearing this new collection of material, I would say that Kenny has subtracted about twenty years from his audience - the songs here are youthful and agressive. I enjoyed the last two albums, but there were far too many ballads in the mix. This time around, he has teamed up with long-time friend, Michael McDonald for the great opener "It's About Time." There are lots of dense, chromatic harmonies and even hip-hop influences making up this collection of songs, without sacrificing a single element of quality pop sensability.

I would dare to say that the track "Brothers" is Loggins finest on this outing. It seems to have a lot of the chance-taking and energy of his earlier recordings in the late 70's and early to mid 80's. There is a classic kind of dark and light balance on many of the tunes, which helps to overcome any generic quality that might be happening otherwise.

Buy this disc now!! If you like the music of Kenny Loggins, there is little or no risk here...

Kenny's new album rivals his Loggins and Messina days and his 1991 effort - Leap of Faith. To be certain, it's clearly his best work since 1991.

"I Miss Us" should have been the first single released. No question. The writing, melody and pace are outstanding. This is simply one of the best songs Kenny has produced over his 30 years. It rivals L&M classics, Heart to Heart and Conviction of the Heart (his top pieces of work IMO).

"Alive and Kickin'" is Kenny at his upbeat best. His voice is tight and clear. The song represents an outstanding change of pace - a little country - and will get people up and moving. "The One That Got Away" is my third favorite on the album and quite possibly one of my favorite ballads of all time. The message is intense and the melody pulls you in. The emotion in Kenny's voice is amazing.

Frankly, these first three have a chance to fly up the AC charts if there are still enough open minds out there. With This Ring represents a fourth outstanding effort. It is a solid slow song and gets better everytime it is played.

It's About Time, My Song and Undeniable Groove are the type of unique, upbeat songs I've been waiting for over the last 11 years or so. Great stuff with a little R&B mixed in.

To be honest, I haven't given the other three songs their due - simply because I've been blown away and focused on the seven I've mentioned. Rarely does an album offer so many songs that offer this type of quality production. Clearly working with pros like Sims, McDonald, Marx helped elevate this project to another level. In most cases, music fans are lucky to find one or two songs on any given album that truly blown them away. This album truly exceeds those expectations.

Wow. This record is solid. Kenny is certainly Alive and Kickin. The first five songs here would easily see top 10 status if they belonged to a "hot (young)" artist. Kenny, like others in the business for some time, will certainly have a tougher time getting the attention of the radio stations focused on nothing but youth. However, with a break or two, you never know.

Kenny has another great album. Each song is different, which keeps your interest, as you listen to the CD. Played on a high-tech sytem, it reveals how well it was produced and mixed, giving equal attention to vocals (awesome) and instruments.
Kenny's song-writing talents and amazing voice will make this CD a "Must-Have" for his "Die-Hard Fans", as well as anyone who enjoys really good music!

I've been listening to this album pretty much all afternoon and have come up with individual song ratings. Here they are.

1. It's about time - 4* - Very catchy tune with a great message of coming to terms with what you have through looking within instead looking for answers on the outside.

2. With this ring - 3* - The albums single. Very sweet song but it lacks in lyrical originality.

3. Alive 'n' kickin' - 4* - The country song off the album. It's a pretty upbeat little tune, it gets better and better the more you listen to it.

4. I miss us - 5* - Great song. Lyrically intelligent and musically touching. If you can relate with this song get ready to cry.

5. The one that got away - 5* - This song is definetely the most beautiful song off the album. Kenny's awesome voice has so much sincerity flowing through it, it's hard not to drop a tear or two even if you can't relate.

6. Brothers - 5* - The best song off the album. Lyrically intelligent with a great message that everyone who doesn't sit alone on their computer all day can relate to. With some rather nifty guitar strumming and captivating bass playing, this song, in my opinion, takes the trophey for being the best off the album.

7. This is how my song goes - 3* - When I first started hearing this song I was really enjoying it, then a change, wasn't too bad though just a little strange, then another change the chorus "this is how my song goes..." (cough) Since it's half good and half bad I'll give it 3 stars.

8. Doin it right - 4* - "Doin it, doin it right, I'm a doin it doin it, yeah" Very cool song.

9. The undeniable groove - 5* - Uplifliting, cool "Undeniable Groove"

10. No other voice - 4* - Remeniscent of older Kenny soft tunes. Hard for me to relate to but it's got a pretty good sound.

Having caught Kenny at Oakdale Theatre this summer playing "warm up" for Hall and Oates, I was reminded of his talent. In fact, he rendered Daryl and John hum drum when the smoke had cleared, more or less stealing the show.
It took me a few months to acquire his latest effort, It's About Time. Amazing that Kenny hasn't burnt out after all these years. The quality of the recording is rivaled only by the variety and master craftsmanship applied to each track.
It's been awhile since I've been this excited about a recording from a veteran of the 70's/80's....but sure enough Kenny has scored big here. Favorites: Alive and Kickin, This is How My Song Goes.....Don't pass on this one. It's too good!