Published on Jun 21, 1999
Back in 1978, Eddie Money had the tiger by the tail. With songs
like “Baby Hold On” and “Two Tickets To Paradise,” his self-titled
solo debut burst forth onto the scene, catapaulting Money into the
land of superstars.
Ah, but the fickle finger of fate hasn’t been particularly kind
to Money over the years. While he’s occasionally made it back onto
the radio with some hits (“Shakin'”, “Take Me Home Tonight”), he’s
never quite reached the levels of fame and success that he had with
album number one. Likewise, people haven’t seemed willing to give
Money a chance to prove that he’s still a voice that’s important
enough to be heard in the ’90s.
His latest effort,
Ready Eddie, is a step in the right direction, showing not
only that Money can still rock out with the best of them, but also
that he knows when to turn on the charm in a ballad. If only he had
been able to keep that energy level going throughout the album,
this one could have been a contender for some serious action.
Money gets off to a shaky start on “Ready To Rock,” a song that
is eventually undermined by its bland-sounding chorus. Two words:
harmony vocals. But Money quickly overcomes that first hurdle,
throwing the rock gear into overdrive with numbers like “So Cold
Tonight” (which has a great sound due to a minimal rhythm line –
pow!) and “Let It Go”. Both songs should erase any doubts one might
have had about Money as a bonafide rock star. Even a more rough
edge to his vocals seems to add the right texture to these
songs.
But Money also shows that he’s well suited for ballad land as
well – as if “Fall In Love Again” from a few years ago didn’t prove
that. “Don’t Say No Tonight” might not be a ballad in the truest
sense of the word, but it does show the more sensitive side of the
rocker. Before Jerry Falwell can get his self-righteous boxers in a
knot about this one, let me state for the record: this song is not
about getting a girl to go all the way, it’s about a man asking his
long-time love to make the commitment he’s willing to share in.
It’s a little saccharine-sweet, but it’s effective.
Likewise, “Turn The Light Off” is a song about the contentment
and security our hero has found sharing his life with the woman he
loves. Admittedly, this one might send the rock fans running for
the exits, but if you take the time to really listen to the song,
it proves its mettle very quickly. I can’t see this song getting
lots of play at weddings, but oh well.
Ready Eddie continues in a successful vein with tracks like
“It’s Gotta Be Love” and “Can’t Go On,” but the formula seems to
get a little tired by the time that “Need A Little Rock” and
“Broken Down Chevy (God Only Knows)” finally make their way to your
headphones. Perhaps that is the greatest disappointment I have in
this album: that Money wasn’t able to maintain such a level of
excellence for the entire disc.
And it’s not that Money should change his mode of operation.
Indeed, the bulk of
Ready Eddie is very good, and the disc as a whole is quite
listenable. It’s just that after 20 years in the business, one
would think that Money would know how to weed out the weak material
and put together an album that engages the listener from note one
to the final fadeout. He comes close on this one, but doesn’t seem
to be able to throw it into the final gear.