Hall & Oates Albums (22)
What The Critics Say
As one of the biggest-selling duos in pop music history, it makes perfect sense for Daryl Hall and John Oates to make a Christmas album: any artist with such enduring popularity certainly has an audience waiting to hear them singing seasonal songs, and they made one of the greatest Christmas videos of early MTV with their cheerfully silly "Jingle Bell Rock." That kind of built-in audience is one of the reasons musicians play it safe when they make holiday albums, but fortunately Hall & Oates don't fall into that trap on 2006's Home for Christmas. There certainly are a fair share of familiar songs here -- this opens with "The First Noel" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," and closes with "The Christmas Song," "Oh Holy Night" and a revival of "Jingle Bell Rock" -- and the album has smooth, slick veneer that's friendly and comforting. But within the conventions of a holiday album, Hall & Oates actually cover a lot of ground, touching on their early folky roots on their arrangement of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," covering Robbie Robertson's quite wonderful "Christmas Must Be Tonight," unearthing William Bell and Booker T. Jones' excellent "Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday," singing spirited gospel on "Children Go Where I Send Thee" and contributing two very good originals in Oates' soulful "No Child Should Ever Cry on Christmas" and Hall's title track (which was also co-written by T-Bone Wolk and Greg Bieck, who also produced the album with Hall). The result is the rare holiday album that feels familiar yet fresh, and there's enough variety here to make this a Christmas record that will hold up well over the years. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Considering that soul has been at the foundation of Hall & Oates' sound throughout their career -- even their early folk-rock records had soulful underpinnings -- it only made sense for the duo to eventually cut their own soul tribute album. As the title suggests, that's exactly what 2004's Our Kind of Soul is: Hall & Oates' spin on their favorite soul sounds. This includes, of course, heavy doses of Philly soul and Motown, along with other smooth soul of the '70s. Most of the album is devoted to covers -- usually familiar tunes like "Standing in the Shadows of Love," "I'll Be Around," and "Used to Be My Girl," yet there are a couple of more obscure entries and a heavily rewritten "I Can Dream About You" (in his excellent track-by-track liner notes Daryl Hall reveals that Dan Hartman wrote the song with the duo in mind) -- but there is a handful of originals that fit into the vibe quite well, such as the lush "Soul Violins" and "Let Love Take Control." All the songs, whether they're covers or originals, are given a clean yet warm production similar to the pair's successful 2003 comeback effort, Do It for Love, but this is a little more laid-back and unassuming. Consequently, it doesn't make as big of an impression, but it's a friendly, mellow affair that finds Hall & Oates in good form. It's not quite as strong as Do It for Love, and its tasteful relaxed vibe may strike some fans of their '80s hits as being a little sleepy, but for longtime fans who like the folky Atlantic material as much as their blue-eyed soul, this is a nice, enjoyable listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Daryl Hall and John Oates launched a comeback effort in 1997 with Marigold Sky, but few paid attention -- partially because the time wasn't right, partially because it wasn't the right album for a comeback. Six years later, the duo tried it again with Do It for Love and, remarkably, it all clicked. First of all, the climate was ripe for a Hall & Oates reunion, not just because the group was subjected to a flattering episode of VH1's Behind the Music, but because their longtime fans and '80s nostalgiaics alike were warm to the duo's hooky, sophisticated, effortlessly enjoyable blue-eyed soul. Then, there's the fact that Do It for Love is their best album in 20 years, even if it has very little to do with the sharply modern new wave-soul of Private Eyes and H2O. Although it sounds like neither, this hearkens back to the sensibility of both Abandoned Luncheonette and 1975's eponymous debut for RCA, where the emphasis was on the songwriting and the productions understatedly served the song. The big difference between Do It for Love and those records is that, musically, it isn't particularly adventurous; it is firmly settled in the blue-eyed soul tradition, sometimes blurring the line between that and adult contemporary. However, it shares with those records a strong sense of songcraft and consistently enjoyable songs and performances. It's true that nothing here will erase memories of their biggest hits, yet nearly all of these 14 songs hold their own against many of the album tracks and lesser-known hits from their golden period while also having a unified sense of sound and purpose, adding up to a thoroughly satisfying record, the kind that will please the faithful while winning back those listeners who haven't really listened to the duo since the '80s. A really fine, surprising comeback effort. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After spending several years on hiatus, Hall & Oates reunited in 1997 for Marigold Sky, their first album since 1990's Change of Season. Where its predecessor found the duo struggling to stay contemporary, Marigold Sky finds them relaxing into maturity, recording a collection of appealingly smooth, well-crafted soul-pop. There isn't anything as energetic as their early-'80s hits, nor is there anything unforgettably catchy, but it's a well-made album with a number of winning songs illustrating that even if Hall & Oates are past their peak, they nevertheless are capable of making engaging music. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
There may not have been many great songs on Change of Season -- only the hit single "So Close" truly stands out -- but that's because Hall & Oates rely more on soundcraft than songcraft throughout the record. The result is a record that may not have many immedaite tunes, but is nevertheless a pleasant listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
From 1980-1984, the Billboard chart could have been dubbed the Hall & Oates chart for their seemingly never ending assault of number one singles (amazingly, they never had a number one album). However, after Big Bam Boom and their live pre-sabbatical At the Apollo, Hall again embarked on his solo album for six/seven years and the overblown Three Hearts and its happy ending machine were born. When they returned on Arista in 1988, they delivered a very good album in Ooh Yeah. But the legendary Hall & Oates were treated as comeback artists. Pulling the rug from under their feet, critics slammed the album as the worst for a decade. A case of old news. Ooh Yeah is shock horror as good as H2O or Private Eyes, but the stigma of bad apple gave it a bad name. Ironically, Oates enjoyed U.S. Top Ten success at the time thanks to a collaboration with Icehouse on "Electric Blue," and with Hall, the lead single "Everything Your Heart Desires" managed an admirable number three. The album itself is more or less standard but shows a creative touch towards the end with its trilogy: "Soul Love," "reaLove," and "Keep On Pushing Love." ~ Kelvin Hayes, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Hall & Oates resurrected the fading careers of ex-Temptations stars David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks. H&O took them on tour, paid them regularly, and arranged a record deal for them with RCA, but the relationship soured for unknown reasons. It's been rumored that Kendricks thought they were being used to boost H&O's career, which couldn't be true because H&O were already hot; it was Ruffin and Kendricks who had been reduced to playing bucket-of-blood, inner-city nightspots. Or perhaps Kendricks just tired of singing "Get Ready" so often. His voice sounded like it would tear when he sang "Ready" with H&O, while David Ruffin tempted in the background. Ruffin sounded better, much better; he still had some voice, but the electricity had gone out of it. Kendricks sounded better on the rollicking "The Way You Do the Things You Do," and acted like he enjoyed singing Smokey Robinson's metaphoric gem. An ordinary performance of "My Girl" ended the Temptations segment of the H&O show. Things really picked up, though, when Hall & Oates stood alone with band and did their current chart-toppers. Daryl Hall shows his blue-eyed soul roots by biting into "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby"; not to be denied, John Oates rips off a stinging guitar solo, helping Hall polish off Sam & Dave's classic in style. Their performances of "I Can't Go for That," "One on One," "Possession Obsession," and "Adult Education" have to be heard to be believed. They work a crowd like few can, and their harmonies are impeccable. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Big Bam Boom is the last of the big Hall & Oates albums, the one that closed their period of greatest commercial success and artistic achievement. Parting from Neil Kernon, their engineer/co-producer for Voices, Private Eyes, and H20, the duo hired Bob Clearmountain as a co-producer and engineer, bringing in hip-hop pioneer Arthur Baker for additional mixing and production, and the change behind the boards is evident on the record. As the title none too subtly implies, this is a bigger, noisier record than its predecessors, with its rhythms smacking around in an echo chamber and each track built on layers of synthesizers and studio effects. Hall & Oates' crack touring band are credited in the liner notes as playing on each track, but this is one of the first mainstream records of the '80s records where it sounds as everything was sequenced and run through a computer -- the sound that came to define the latter half of the decade. There's undeniably interesting things going on in the mix on each of the nine tracks -- frankly, there's too much going on, and the production weighs down many of the songs on this sprawling, diffuse album; it also obscures the dark undercurrent to many of the tunes, several of which seem to foreshadow the duo's long hiatus following this record. Some songs cut through on the strength of their craft, and these are usually the singles: the excellent "Out of Touch," which rivals anything on Private Eyes or Voices; the silly yet engaging "Method of Modern Love"; the haunting "Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid," easily the best ballad on the record; then, the exception to the rule, the hard-rocking "Bank on Your Love," which is one time the production works in the favor of the song, adding muscle instead of diluting its impact. These songs, matched with the ambition of the rest of the record, makes Big Bam Boom an interesting, worthwhile listen, but coming after a trio of records that had very few flaws, it feels like a disappointment, and it was no great surprise that Hall & Oates took a lengthy break a year or so after its release. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
