Paul Anka Albums (24)
What The Critics Say
Having written a fair number of them, Paul Anka recognizes a contemporary standard when he hears one, even if it doesn't conform to the historical model as it's existed from the days of Tin Pan Alley to Broadway. And so his songbook of chestnuts plucked from the '80s and '90s rock canon, Rock Swings, fares much better than its closest contemporary, Pat Boone's novelty In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy. First of all, there's the material -- a compelling selection of standards that reveals a close inspection and an inspired reimagining of the pop and alternative artists of the period (perhaps not by Anka himself). The disc does commit a few errors by resorting to novelty selections (Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"), but the big surprise here is that most of the songs slip into the standards bag with an uncanny ease (Pet Shop Boys' "It's a Sin," Billy Idol's "Eyes Without a Face," Lionel Richie's "Hello"). No matter how far the stretch, Anka and his inspired primary arranger, Randy Kerber, make these songs work in a swing context; in fact, it takes only a single listen to confirm that the narrator of even Van Halen's "Jump" is at heart quite the ring-a-ding swinger -- casual, cynical, knowing. There are other inspired choices here, tender ballads like R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" or Spandau Ballet's "True," and, astonishingly, the nihilist anthem "Blackhole Sun" by Soundgarden. Most of Chris Cornell's lyrics -- "Hang my head, drown my fear/ Till you all just disappear" -- could easily have found a home on Sinatra's Only the Lonely, although at least one line -- "Call my name through the cream/ And I'll hear you scream again" -- wouldn't have had a prayer. Anka only missteps when he tries to wring meaning from lyrics that require some emotion to carry them; on "Smells Like Teen Spirit," the prime offender, Anka slips into novelty territory when he injects a forceful "Yeah!" immediately after delivering Nirvana's classic lines "A mulatto, an albino/ A mosquito, my libido," as though he can confirm Kurt Cobain's words as a home truth. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
'Live in Las Vegas'
Release Date 4/9/2002
Tracks 15
Label Varese Vintage
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What The Critics Say
No recording date for this show is given in the liner notes, but the small print does point out that most of these songs first saw release on a Barnaby Records album in 1975. Three live tracks (including a Vegas-ized soul-rock cover of "This Land Is Your Land") not on that Barnaby LP also appear here, as do the two songs from his 1971 Barnaby single, "Why Are You Leaning on Me Sir"/"You're Some Kind of Friend." It's pretty much what you'd expect from a 1970s Anka Vegas show: a slickly arranged mixture of Anka originals, a medley of his 1950s hits, and covers of smashes like "Gentle on My Mind," "Games People Play," "For Once in My Life," and "Something." Of course, there's also "My Way" (which is reprised again at the end) and "She's a Lady," which are not covers; many forget that Anka co-wrote both of those songs. It's all relayed with pretty routine show biz execution, and frankly Anka's voice isn't so strong at points, though like virtually all Vegas entertainers he's obviously making a strenuous effort to be engaging with the audience. As for the studio single, "Why Are You Leaning on Me Sir" taps into the early-'70s gospel-informed let's-all-be-brothers singer/songwriter vibe, and "You're Some Kind of Friend" is a less remarkable, overbearingly serious pop number with some tradeoffs between Anka and a female singer. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
'Christmas with Paul Anka'
Release Date 8/1/2000
Tracks 12
Label Delta
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What The Critics Say
Given the most confusing title for an album of newly recorded material since John Prine's The Missing Years, Paul Anka's A Body of Work, despite a name that makes it sound like a compilation, is actually the singer/songwriter's first new U.S. release since Walk a Fine Line in 1983. Following the international success of 1996's Spanish-language duets album Amigos, Anka tries a little of everything in an attempt to regain a foothold at home. There are newly written songs, notably the unabashedly devotional adult love ballad "She's My Woman, She's My Friend" that opens the record. There are celebrity guest stars -- Celine Dion, Tevin Campbell, Kenny G, Barry Gibb, Patti LaBelle, and Peter Cetera turn up to one extent or another. And there are remakes of hits penned by Anka with the singers who made them famous: he duets with a living Tom Jones on "She's a Lady" and with a 1968 tape of Frank Sinatra on "My Way." For this high-profile effort, Anka has called in both adult contemporary king David Foster and Sony Music's Walter Afanasieff (Michael Bolton, Mariah Carey) as producers, though their efforts are relatively restrained. In fact, despite the celebrity firepower, the whole album is really a set of low-key ballads that Anka sings emotionally, whether the mood is happy or sad. It's a respectable return-to-action for a veteran who remains vital, even if it was not a commercial return-to-form. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Paul Anka in Vegas'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 10
Label Laserlight
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What The Critics Say
On this full-fledged comeback attempt, Paul Anka hooked up with writer/arranger David Foster and writer/singer/keyboard player Michael McDonald, plus the usual complement of high-priced Los Angeles session players (Jeff Porcaro on drums, Nathan East on bass, Steve Lukather on guitar, etc.) The result is a slick, contemporary pop-rock record that sounds like what that team usually sounds like on albums by McDonald, Peter Cetera, Kenny Loggins, etc. There was no reason why one of these bland, widescreen ballads couldn't have become a big radio hit, except, perhaps, that they sounded a little too much like McDonald, Cetera, etc. Somewhere in the creamy productions was the slight voice of Paul Anka, but with all that talent surrounding it, the nominal star was a little hard to hear. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The second album of Paul Anka's second sojourn at RCA leads off with the title song, a topical number about the impact of the media set to a disco beat. It's not typical fare for Anka, and he doesn't really give it a point of view. Another good idea wasted is "Life Song," and which begins with a fear of death and peters out into bland live-it-up sentiments. More up Anka's alley (although he didn't write it) is the Easy Listening chart song "As Long As We Keep Believing," a production-heavy ballad whose message is expressed in its title. But with another disco track, "Never Get To Know You," and other over arranged songs, Headlines worked a bit too hard too make Anka seem contemporary, and for that reason failed where its more modest predecessor, Listen To Your Heart, had modestly succeeded. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
