Todd Rundgren
Hermit Of Mink Hollow

THE REVIEW

If with Utopia, Todd Rundgren finds his footing by discarding the last remnants of progressive rock and embracing (albeit temporarily) the much more straightforward Arena rock, simplicity seems to have become the dominant theme of his endless, inexorably prolific musical output during the "artistic rebirth" period of '77-'78.

And simplicity, after albums such as "Initiation," is truly a blessing. In "Hermit Of Mink Hollow" of '78, we witness a return to the past, to that 1971 of "The Ballad Of Todd Rundgren," a wonderful example of creativity and simplicity, class and melodic purity... When Todd was still "Runt," his nickname among friends, a few years before the magnificent but extremely complex albums, and before "Runt" became "The Wizard." Before his nickname among friends was replaced with a moniker for fans and music magazines.

As in '71, we said, this is an album mostly composed of ballads and straightforward pop songs, simple and pleasant. We can find soulful piano melodies like "Hurting For You", old-style jazz pop like "Bag Lady", a fun Rundgren reminiscent of Elton John's "The Bitch Is Back" in "You Cried Wolf", or the (improved) Freddie Mercury of "My Melancholy Blues" in "Lucky Guy", where even the guitar sounds similar to Brian May's. Fast, carefree pop, youthful and lively in the opening "All The Children Sing"; piano-rock, the latter useful to emphasize the most sentimental passages as well as increase the dramatic tension of verses and choruses, in "Bread"...

A few other ingredients to spice things up, like the keyboard-driven pop with the ticking of "Too Far Gone", the return, in "Determination", of Californian sounds in a sunny and arpeggiated pop-rock, or the hard-rock of "Out Of Control"... Above all, and beyond the sounds and ever-spectacular interpretations, the sheer purity of the melodies shines absolutely.

And if Todd can't help but "pull one of his stunts", inserting a comic "Onomatopeia", where he first names the sounds and then lets you hear them, burps, raspberries, and farts included, in at least two instances he reaches levels of absolute melodic perfection: "Can We Still Be Friends" is an excellent ballad halfway between the theatrical episodes of Meatloaf (Rundgren produced none other than the iconic "Bat Out Of Hell") and his famous "Hello It's Me". As the final seal, he offers us the wintery, Christmassy, and old-timey "Fade Away".

An excellent album, which certainly lacks originality, but for Rundgren, it represents a splendid way to put his career back to the beginning.

Welcome back, Runt.