Love Comes and Goes - Ron E. Beck

Native Nebraskan vocalist/drummer Ron E. Beck moved to California in 1976 eventually settling down in the San Francisco Bay area. After working with such blues luminaries as John Lee Hooker, he got his big break when he occupied the drum chair for the first-rank rock and adult contemporary soul group Tower of Power. He also toured and recorded with disco divas Two Tons of Fun and ex-Fifth Dimension vocalists Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis. On this, his first album, Beck has kept some of the soul sound from his Tower of Power days. Not only does he sing, but he composed several of the songs and did the organ, bass sequencing, and drum programming. There's a lot of electronic simulation on this album of 14 tunes, many of which were composed by Beck. There are real people playing real instruments, too. The multifaceted Beck plays piano, Tim Landis and Gregg Crockett play guitars in typical rock fashion, i.e., performing the same role the bass had one time in jazz, limited to keeping the beat. But Michael Osborn is allowed to deliver a few well-strummed solo chords on "Pardon Me," one of the better tracks on the album. Ron's twin brother Don E. Beck is equally multidimensional as he serves as background singer, bass, organ, and horn player along with being responsible for some of the technical chores associated with the album. Some good funky tenor is available on "By Your Side" and some good sax ensemble playing on a bouncing and appropriately named "2 Saxé." "The Shadow of Your Smile" is delivered passionately by Beck, singing and on piano accompanied by his programmed drums. On the next track, the same song is marked "Rubato," which is two minutes of what Beck sounds like without all the electronic hoopla. These reasonably interesting tracks notwithstanding, the album suffers from slavish conformity to a certain style: the constant, never changing back beat, the two- or three-chord guitar work, tons of electronics, and background vocalizing galore. Beck has a pleasant voice, with a style reminiscent of Al Green. But we could have done with less of the high-tech stuff and more acoustic playing from the talented players -- and there's an army of them -- he had with him in the studio. ~ Dave Nathan, All Music Guide