Daryl Hall John Oates
H2O

THE REVIEW

"The vocal cords of Daryl Hall are prodigious! I have never worked with a better singer than him..." This is stated by the "Crimsonian" Robert Fripp, especially recalling his late seventies collaborations with this authentic ace of blue-eyed soul and the leading figure of the duo in question.

All true: if there is someone to name who is excellent at singing, the first can rightfully be Daryl Hall. His complete control over his vocal production allows him a mobility of intonation and an infinite wealth of nuances. Of course, one must appreciate his style full of flourishes and decidedly based on rhythm & blues, as a direct consequence of the masters, strictly black, from whom he learned everything possible as a young man, although he is as blond as a German from Hamburg (his surname is Hohl, unsurprisingly) but raised in one of America's most "black" metropolises—Philadelphia, the hometown of greats like the Temptations and Smokey Robinson.

His partner John Oates, a native of the same places and with the same youthful idols, does not simply watch: lacking the boundless natural talent of his partner, he compensates with more rational and developed abilities, such as the capacity for arrangement, production, and artistic organization. His voice, though educated and competent, is a hundred times less histrionic and interesting than that of his friend, but it finds its effectiveness in harmony or in response to it, and also serves as a sporadic but pleasant alternative when every now and then (no more than a couple of songs per album) he takes the spotlight.

In short, a very well-diversified artistic duo (even physically: one tall and blond and the other short and dark-haired…), still active although in a discontinuous and relaxed manner, having amassed forty years of collaboration, around twenty albums, and about sixty million records sold.

The duo's golden period coincides with the eighties, and this album from 1982 is thus one of the most prominent in their repertoire. Given the era, the pop/rhythm & blues genre dear to the two musicians is somewhat adulterated, without fortunately compromising in terms of charm and quality, by some electronic drums here and there and other similarly synthetic sounds. However, everything is well mixed with traditional instruments, and in any case, the excellent songwriting, Daryl's mobile and virtuous soul voice, the abundant saxophone interventions (often preferred as the solo instrument over the electric guitar), and the typical response and counterpoint choirs to the singer keep everything in its right place: we are in the top tier of American commercial music, mainly "black" in derivation but with the right corollary of other influences (naturally rock, then the usual Beatles, electronics...).

The album is inaugurated by the well-known "Maneater", which was number one worldwide at one time and over the years has become an absolute evergreen, ultimately their most famous song. This ode to a man-eating woman is characterized by a pressing and tense rhythm, unmistakable, crossed by a splendid, dynamic vocal line that soars irresistibly above the chords, eventually accompanied by an equally compelling saxophone.

Another highlight is "One on One", the most "synthetic" track on the album (all electronic drums, keyboards, and strictly "fake" sounding basses) but what a melody! It can never tire the listener, even if Daryl hams it up more than ever and without restraint, entering and exiting falsetto and trilling the ends of phrases beyond all limits: an irresistible pop gem.

I really love the closing track "Go Solo", more squared and traditionally rock in arrangement, sung by Hall with such verve and conviction as to suggest that the spirited send-off to someone contained in the lyrics refers to an open wound in his personal (romantic or artistic... the text doesn't make it clear) story.

"Crime Pays" and "Family Man" are both episodes filled with rhythm, perfect at that time for discos. It's curious how the latter is a cover of a track released a few months earlier by Mike Oldfield (album "Five Miles Out"), a musician with a background definitely distant from the duo's. A certain progressive air remains glued to the piece, with its circular and insistent flow typical of the British artist's works, despite the soul-funky dressing crafted by the two Americans.

The only one of the ten tracks sung by John Oates can be judged as charming but also silly, according to taste: it's titled "Italian Girls" and obviously celebrates the proverbial Italian female allure, with phrases like "Yes, I've seen Rome, the monuments, the ruins, and the museums; I've drunk the red wine... but where are the Italian girls? I've seen Loren on television, there must be more like her..." and other pleasantries of the sort, complete with unlikely Italian phrases ("Faccia bella cara mia", "La donna italiana belissima"), all set to frankly insignificant music... well, a filler.