REVIEW: Rick Springfield, Karma (Platinum Records)
- Jason Cahill
80's pop icon Rick Springfield is back with an album of new material, his first in more than ten years. But don't call it a comeback (1988's Rock of Life was Springfield's attempt at a comeback). This is more like an attempt at complete career reversal of fortunes. If you believe VH-1's "Behind The Music", the reasons for his absence from an industry he once dominated range from emotional meltdown to a complete lack of confidence to the belief that his brand of pop music had been passed over by everything from grunge to hip-hop to swing. No matter what the reason for the absence, it's important to note that reports of his musical demise have been slightly premature as evidenced by his latest release, Karma, a slightly uneven album with flashes of the kind of guitar-driven pop we remember well.
Most similar in sound to the aforementioned Rock of Life, Karma is a collection of pure pop songs with Springfield's signature hooks. Will anything on Karma necessitate a second greatest hits album? Probably not. In fact, "It's Always Something" might be the only song on Karma worthy of being grouped with those great pop songs of years past, but that doesn't mean that the rest of Karma is lacking its share of musical gems. "Shock to the System" is an introspective ballad which is smartly written, dark and wistful. "Prayer" is an outright pop song, light on the guitars and heavy on the sentiment, but catchy as hell. In fact, say what you will about Springfield's musical legacy, but one thing is certain - his ability to write perfect pop songs is a talent matched by only a handful of current musicians (Fountains of Wayne and The Smithereens come to mind).
Those, however, looking for another "Jesse's Girl" might be just a bit disappointed. Nothing on Karma hits a nerve in quite the same way. In fact, it seems that in a span of about ten or fifteen years, Springfield has moved ever so casually from rock to adult contemporary, both in sound and attitude. The energetic rocker has been seemingly replaced by a kinder, gentler Rick Springfield. Nowhere on Karma is this more evident than on "Religion of the Heart" and "Free", both slow-moving ballads which meander their way to completion. But perhaps Karma's most troubling aspect is its synthetic sound. A large majority of the tracks seem processed and lacking any kind of raw energy necessary on an album that claims itself to be in the rock genre. Drum machines are a necessary and acceptable component for musicians like Chemical Brothers and, to a certain extent, Beck. But on a rock album it does nothing but serve to detract from the intended sound, unless of course an artificial sound is what's intended.
But that said, the majority of Karma is downright enjoyable, the type of ear candy noticeably absent from much of today's music. While it might not thrust Rick Springfield back onto the rock music main stage, Karma does prove that the a once forgotten icon can still produce relevant and entirely enjoyable music.
