Customer Reviews

Leap of Faith

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kenny Loggins was best known in the 1980's for such movie soundtrack standards as "Danger Zone (Top Gun)", "Footloose (Footloose)", and "I'm Alright (Caddyshack)" and adult contemporary hits as "This is It" and "Whenever I call you 'Friend". However, it is his 1990 album, "Leap of Faith" where Loggins creates some of the finest music of career. Apparently, Loggins was experiencing a spiritual rebirth during this period, as nearly all of his songs are touched with this spirituality. There are songs of love, understanding, and environmental awareness populating this album. Tribal drums and acoustic guitar play major roles on all of the tracks.

The album's title track, "Leap of Faith", provides a haunting tribal beat that underlies the entire song (and would also seem to be the inspiration for rhythms in the 1997 song "Missing You" by Everything But the Girl). The song, "The Real Thing" pleads for patience from a child who does not understand why her parents are no longer together. It sends the message that someday she will understand and learn what the 'the real thing' (love) really is. "If You Believe" is a song promoting self-empowerment and using that to make a difference, while "Now or Never" tells the tale of a man facing a crossroads in life and knowing the time has come to make a decision on how to live life from that point on.

The true gem of this album, though, is a song Loggins wrote specifically for Earth Day 1990. It is called "Conviction of the Heart". It's debut at Earth Day gives it a peripheral connection to a 'save the environment' message, but the true message is actually a challenge to listener to stand for what they believe in and have the 'conviction of the heart' to make the changes in the world that they know must be done for the benefit of current and future generations. What makes this song so amazing is it's climax. The closing musical arrangement may be one of long and most electrifying in music history. After the last chord fades away, the listener wants to jump to their feet and go out into the world and make that difference that Loggins has challenged them to make. "Leap of Faith" is one album that a listener will be better off for having listened to it.

Gone are the days that Kenny Loggins performs guitar-driven rock themes to movies. Here now is a gentler, more mature Kenny Loggins, and his listeners are all the richer for it.

Taking a reflective look on life and people that matter to you can result in pretentious navel-gazing for some, but for Loggins it gives him the platform to compose some of his most moving lyrics as well as some of his most beautiful music to complement them. "Leap of Faith" and "The Real Thing" are both intimate, mature reflections on love in an adult world, and "Conviction of the Heart" and "If You Believe" manage to be two of those rare Goodwill-towards-men-let's-help-save-the-world songs that manage not to turn sappy or irrelevant. "I Would Do Anything" is a gorgeous romantic ballad that features a vocal by a pre-"Leaving Las Vegas" Sheryl Crow, and "Sweet Reunion" is a beautiful, jazzy midtempo number whose lush chords are matched by its warm lyrics about finding love all over again.

"Too Early for the Sun" is a ballad so lovely you hardly notice that it clocks in at over eight minutes, and "Cody's Song" is a touching testament from a father to his son. "Now or Never" is an inspiring, charged moment, and "My Father's House" is the only song that tries a little too hard; the instrumentation sounds a bit maudlin and the track comes off as taking itself a bit too seriously.

It's a minor quibble, however, on an album where the production is gorgeous and the instrumentation impeccable; the solo section of the title track in particular, with its African-inspired drums, provides a gorgeous listen. Anyone who thought Kenny Loggins reached his peak going "Footloose" in "The Danger Zone" needs to take a leap of faith and discover one of his finest works to date.

LEAP OF FAITH is one of my favorite Kenny Loggins' recordings: excellent musical arrangements; the use of Native American rhythms and instrumentation; good songs; and a more mature Loggins, who started using his own life experiences to influence his lyrics. This is evidenced strongly in the sincerity of THE REAL THING; his homage to his son in CODY'S SONG; and the bittersweet MY FATHER's HOUSE.
Both the vocal and reprise of WILL OF THE WIND are beautiful; there is insightful majesty in LEAP OF FAITH and CONVICTION OF THE HEART soaked in superb musical accompaniment; joyful euphoria in SWEET REUNION and IF YOU BELIEVE; intense energy in NOW OR NEVER; tender pleading in I WOULD DO ANYTHING; and strong resolve in TOO EARLY FOR THE SUN.
The pop star of the 70s and 80s entered the 90s as a more introspective musician. Although he would overdo it with his future AN UNIMAGINABLE LIFE, this album is an outstanding showcase of his creative maturity.

In my opinion this is one of the best pop albums ever recorded.
Unfortunately the music industry didn't take notice. There is no "hit single" or "movie theme song", just some of the best music Kenny has ever recorded. Don't miss out on this one.

This is by far, my favorite Kenny Loggins album. It seems to combine a bit of each genre that he has written in. I found that the more I listen to this album, the more I appreciate it. It may be where I am in my life, as a parent and in finding myself.

Kenny Loggins shows some of his best work I have ever heard in this disc. The only setback is he should have named the title after Will of the Wind, not Leap of Faith . A must have for Loggins fans.

After much commercial success, Loggins developed this truly personal effort. One that unfortunately was not a blockbuster like the last few albums. "Sweet Reunion" was a smooth arrangement of vocals with the help of Take 6. The title track was a smooth ride. But it's the track, "I Would Do Anything" that I give high praise for it's nice duet. Recommended!!

Back in 1991 I bought the cassette of Leap of Faith. I discovered a very interesting history in it. The singer telling us the different stages of a common human being. From a single man who was looking for a dream to a family man resolving his troubles with the family, but always, fundamented in love.
There is a lot of phylosophy inside each song.
In 1998 I bought the "Kenny Loggins Live in the Grand Canyon VHS Cassette" which is the maximum expresion of the album: to sing "Leap of Faith album" in front of common people, a majestic piece of art.
If you ever thought that Loggin's trademark were "Footloose or danger zone, For the Fist Time, Forever or even Back to Avalon", you will understand the you were wrong, because you'll find the essence of Kenny in the album, his life, his experience, his message and his legacy to the people who was lucky to hear his music during the 70-90's decades.

This is a wonderful collection of beautiful music for people who have ever loved and lost. These are truly well written songs and mean more to me than any other music. By far the best album he has ever produced although Unimaginable Life comes in second.

When this album first came out, I was going through a rough time in my life. I wasn't sure which end was up. I heard the song "The Real Thing" and knew that I was doing the right thing for me and my child. I realized that no matter how hard and difficult things were now, I was making them better for our future. The music is very inspirational and uplifting and helped me believe that true love does exist and I'll find mine someday. Whenever I'm feeling low, I listen to this album, and my spirits soar!