Tommy Tutone 2

by Tommy Tutone

Overview

Tommy Tutone's self-titled debut album was the work of a fine, no-nonsense rock & roll band with an admirable lack of pretense, but their second album upped the ante with its lead-off track, "867-5309/Jenny," a deserved hit single and the sort of killer pop tune with a stick-in-the-ear chorus that plenty of bands would give their collective right arm to dream up. The song made Tommy Tutone stars for a little while, and Tommy Tutone 2 was a more ambitious album from a band that had done some serious roadwork during the year that separated the first two records. TT2's production is fuller, the arrangements are a bit showier, and the keyboards that sounded like an afterthought on the debut gives way to piano and organ lines that are grander and better integrated into the tunes. Lead singer Tom Heath is more confident and passionate, lead guitarist Jim Keller goes for a bigger sound without sinking into guitar hero mentality along the way, and the vague heartland rock influences on the debut have been given noticeably more space here. Tommy Tutone 2 is the work of a more capable and professional act with a genius single leading it off, but the trouble is, there aren't any other songs here that connect with the same force as "867-5309/Jenny." That's not to say the other tunes are bad, as they're not; "Why Baby Why" and "Baby It's Alright" are fine and heartfelt rockers, "Bernadiah" is a potent, soul-influenced number that suggests these guys should have focused a bit more on their R&B influences, and the rest of the tracks range from good to quite good. But the hit single had the unexpected effect of making the rest of the songs sound drab by comparison; overall, it's on a par with their likable debut, but "867-5309/Jenny" unwittingly makes it sound lopsided, an album with one big hit and ten other songs as a bonus. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	12/04/2007
Label:	Sony Music Entertainment
UPC:	0886976076528

Tracks

1. 867-5309/Jenny
2. Baby it's Alright
3. Shadow on the Road Ahead
4. Bernadiah
5. Why Baby Why
6. Which Man Are You
7. No Way to Cry
8. Steal Away
9. Tonight
10. Only One
11. Not Say Goodbye

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Tommy Tutone   Primary Artist
Tommy Heath   Piano,Guitar,Vocals
Victor Carberry   Drums
John Cowsill   Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Steve LeGassick   Keyboards
Jon Lyons   Bass
Lonnie Turner   Bass
Sam Clayton   Percussion
Jim Keller   Guitar,Vocals
Rick Cutler   Drums

Technical Credits

Darrell Edwards   Composer
Alex Call   Composer
Brian Dalton   Composer
George Jones   Composer
Tommy Heath   Composer
Rita Abrams   Composer
Leonard Bernstein   Composer
Jim Keller   Composer
Leon Payne   Composer