The partnership of songwriters
Graham Gouldman
and
Andrew Gold
, stepping out of the wreckage of the recently deceased
10cc
, always promised a lot more than it actually delivered. While there was no denying either the talents or the heritage of either player,
Wax
was doomed to remain a child of its time -- that awful, awkward second half of the '80s during which production and arrangements took over from the actual songwriting, and swamped even the sweetest tune in bombast and swill. And so
American English
disguises 11 songs beneath echoing drums, bellowing keyboards and "look at me, I'm wonderful" vocals, until even the tracks that you know should be good, like the title track, the single
"Bridge to Your Heart,"
"Right Between the Eyes,"
are reduced to little more than background noises in a particularly annoying version of
Miami Vice
, and what should have been an object lesson in musical brilliance becomes a master class in the worst of '80s excess. Unless, of course, you like records that sound like a lot of doors being slammed. ~ Dave Thompson