KENNY LOGGINS – Vox Humana [AOR CITY Series remastered +2] *HQ Exclusive*

320_1 /// 320_2 /// HQ 1 /// HQ 2

Some time ago we featured some titles from the great ＳＯＮＹ ＭＵＳＩＣ ＪＡＰＡＮ campaign Ａ Ｏ Ｒ  Ｃ Ｉ Ｔ Ｙ １０００ , a low-priced remastered reissue on 100 classic AOR / AC albums from their back catalog, many of them out of print or hard to find. The AOR CITY Series were available for a limited period, and now most titles are out of print.
There’s some little gems in these series such a this KENNY LOGGINS 1985’s “Vox Humana“, a lovely melodic album with that unmistakable mid-80s sound & production. As requested, here it is at max quality.
After Loggins & Messina, KENNY LOGGINS solo carreer explored a mix of styles ranging from R&B / funk to Westcoast smooth poppy AOR.
But then, the dividing point for Kenny was, naturally, Footloose, the blockbuster 1984 hit that helped turn him into something of a teen sensation at the age of 36, and with the assistance of Michael Omartian and David Foster, he dove headfirst into synthesizers, radio-ready rock&pop / lite AOR, hugely layered backing vocals and chicken-scratch guitars & smooth solos courtesy of Tim Pierce, Michael Landau, Paul Jackson Jr., Steve Lukather.

With a polished, crystal clear production, KENNY LOGGINS released “Vox Humana” (Latin phrase meaning “human voice”) in 1985, including the who’s who in the recording sessions, such as Toto’s Steve Lukather, David Paich & Steve Porcaro, top AOR guitar players Tim Pierce and Michael Landau, bass guitar monster Nathan East, Mr. Mister’s Richard Page on harmony vocals and the stellar cast continues.

“No Lookin’ Back” and “Let There Be Love” are two high spirited tunes with that classic R&B foundation yet with a commercial patina, while “I’ll Be There” and the sensual “Loraine” are flat out ’80s styled lite AOR tunes with some great pumping basslines, sweet guitar work and Loggin’s soulful vocal instrument working the tunes on every end of the spectrum helped by a star backing vocalists.

Occasionally, he tossed a glance back to the his previous Westcoast — “I’m Gonna Do It Right” is a nice Michael McDonald song, just given a tight sequencing; “At Last” also contains similar shimmering soft echoes — but a good chunk of “Vox Humana” is bombastic and uptempo bright.

The original CD edition of “Vox Humana” suffered from a poor digital transfer with a very low sound signal. This remaster finally makes justice to the album: compared to the 1985 release and 2008 Wounded Bird CDs, the difference is immediate and profoundly noticable.
Additionally, it’s nice to have for the first time the previously unreleased on CD two tracks from the Caddyshack movie soundtrack as bonus tracks.

This is you chance to hear this true ’80s album remastered with a pristine sound. The audio quality and manufacturing is excellent.
HIGHLY Recommended

ＳＯＮＹ ＭＵＳＩＣ ＪＡＰＡＮ 【ＳＩＣＰ～5486－ＣＤ】
Ａ Ｏ Ｒ Ｃ Ｉ Ｔ Ｙ １０００ ＶＯＬ ２

01 – Vox Humana
02 – No Lookin’ Back
03 – Let There Be Love
04 – I’ll Be There
05 – I’m Gonna Do It Right
06 – Forever
07 – At Last
08 – Loraine
09 – Love Will Follow
BONUS TRACKS:
10 – Lead The Way (from the movie Caddyshack)
11 – Make The Move (from the movie Caddyshack)

Lead vocals: Kenny Loggins
Guest Lead Vocals: Sheena Easton (track 5)
Guitars: Kenny Loggins, Tim Pierce, Michael Landau, Paul Jackson, Jr., Steve Lukather, David Williams
Keyboards, synthesizers: Michael Omartian, David Foster, Randy Kerber, Neil Larsen, Steve Wood, Michael Boddicker, Greg Phillinganes, Randy Waldman, David Paich, Steve Porcaro, Bo Tomlyn
Bass guitar: Nathan East
Drums: Tris Imboden, John “JR” Robinson, Michael Baird
Percussion: Paulinho da Costa, Sheila E
Saxophone: David Sanborn
String arrangement: Jeremy Lubbock (track 5)
Backing vocals: Richard Page, Steve George, El Debarge, Hamish Stuart, Sheena Easton, Marilyn Martin (track 9), Donna McDaniel, The Pointer Sisters, Philip Bailey, Carl Anderson, Carl Caldwell, Howard Hewett

out of print
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SICP-5486