When
Life Beyond L.A. became their biggest hit to date on the strength of smooth AOR like
"How Much I Feel," Ambrosia decided to continue in this direction on
One Eighty. It became their most successful album but lacks the ambition or inspiration that infused their first two albums. The
prog rock style that characterized the group's early work is almost completely gone: The only real
progressive cut is
"Kamikaze," which attempts to create a stylized blend of
prog rock and traditional Japanese music but comes off as stilted and awkward. The rest of the album's songs are either
pop/rock tunes or
ballads. Rockers like
"Ready" go for an ambitious blend of radio-friendly
rock and
new wave elements, but sound too forced to be convincing. The
ballads are the album's redeeming feature. They are all lovingly crafted and boast strong, often complex melodies that keep them from getting too sappy or sentimental:
"You're the Only Woman" is a keyboard-rich song that highlights
Christopher North's
soulful Hammond organ playing, and
"Livin' on My Own" layers harmonies reminiscent of
the Doobie Brothers over a
jazzy tune driven by an intricate bassline. The album's finale,
"Biggest Part of Me," is the best of these
ballads. It combines rich
Beach Boys-styled harmonies with a heartfelt lyric to create a rich slice of
blue-eyed soul that gave the group a number two hit single. These classy
ballads make
One Eighty worth a listen for devoted
Ambrosia fans, but the casual listener might want to seek these songs out on the group's
Anthology album. ~ Donald A. Guarisco
