KENNY LOGGINS – Nightwatch [Japan AOR CITY 1000 series] *EXCLUSIVE*

Requested by many of you some time ago, here’s more from the stupendous “AOR CITY 1000 series” by Sony Music Japan, a campaign featuring a low-priced reissue on classic AOR / AC albums from their back catalog (many of them out of print or hard to find).
This is KENNY LOGGINS‘ “Nightwatch“, including two bonus tracks. ”Nightwatch” is the second solo album from Loggins, his highest charting album on the Billboard 200 to date, reaching number 7.
It features the hit single “Whenever I Call You Friend” featuring Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks (co-written with Melissa Manchester), which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the first recorded version of The Doobie Brothers “What a Fool Believes,” which Loggins co-wrote with Michael McDonald.

After his soft rock oriented solo debut album, Loggins refused to playing it safe and “Nightwatch” couldn’t be any more different and unique from Kenny’s first record than one could possibly imagine.
The wispy breeziness of the previous LP is replaced by not only a musical but a production sound that’s a lot more varied and diverse in flavor and isn’t quite as easy to pinpoint as you might think.
The title song is an elaborated piece where spacey electric keyboards and bass lines all play in the same river over Kenny’s scaling vocal licks all around. It’s moody atmosphere certainly suggests the same idea as the title implies.

This album also includes more stronger rock and blues elements, especially on the more tough rocking “Easy Driver” and “Down N’ Dirty” that features rougher guitars and gritty vocals from Loggins than even his rocker songs of the past suggest.
There’s more pep and hooks indeed, as on the cover of Billy Joe Royal’s “Down in the Boondocks” or, especially, the warm Stevie Nicks duet “Whenever I Call You Friend,” which brought Loggins his first solo hit. These signal that this rocks a bit harder than its predecessor, which is true — while still there’s classic FM ready soft rock / Westcoast.

“Wait A Little While” and “Somebody Knows” both are poppy songs, but again, with something more into the arrangements. Kenny’s version of “What A Fool Believes” actually differs musically from the Doobie’s more rhythmically consistant version with more of an obvious Westcoast approch and rhythmic variations.
Final song “Angelique” takes a cue from the moodiness of the title track to create a song with interesting atmospheres, and at hte same time easy to the ears.

This is an album that presents not only a different sound from the debut but a feeling as well: a different Kenny Loggins. And that he had more to say after this really says a lot for this albums place in his long and varied musical history.
This is professional mainstream rock at its finest, with impeccable production.
Highly Recommended

ＳＯＮＹ ＭＵＳＩＣ ＪＡＰＡＮ ～ 【SICP-4874－ＣＤ】
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01 – Nightwatch
02 – Easy Driver
03 – Down ‘N Dirty
04 – Down In The Boondocks
05 – Whenever I Call You Friend (feat. Stevie Nicks)
06 – Wait a Little While
07 – What a Fool Believes
08 – Somebody Knows
09 – Angelique

Vocals – Ken Loggins
Guitar, Vocals – Mike Hamilton
Bass, Vocals – George Hawkins
Drums, Harmonica – Tris Imboden
Horns, Woodwind – Jon Clarke, Vince Denham
Keyboards – Brian Mann
Stevie Nicks – guest Vocals

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www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SICP-4874