A major change of direction...
Free
found
Rick Astley
working with producer
Gary Stevenson
instead of the
Stock/Aitken/Waterman
team and going for a very adult contemporary-type pop/R&B sound instead of the dance-oriented direction that put him on the map. No longer were
the Average White Band
and '70s Philly soul/disco valid comparisons; the new...
Astley
had more in common with
Michael MacDonald
and
the Doobie Brothers
...There are a few songs on
that pack a bit of a punch, including
"The Bottom Line"
and the rock-influenced "Is This Really Love"... ~ Alex Henderson