Rod Stewart Albums (26)
'Still the Same: Great Rock Classics of Our Time'
Release Date 10/10/2006
Tracks 13
Label J-Records
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Early on in his career Rod Stewart established himself as one of rock's great interpretive vocalists, which made the flatness of his Great American Songbook series a bit puzzling. If any classic rock veteran of the '60s should have been able to offer new spins on old standards, it should have been Rod the Mod, who was turning Elvis' "All Shook Up" inside out on Jeff Beck's Truth and turned the Rolling Stones' defiant "Street Fighting Man" into a folk-rock lament, all before "Maggie May" turned Rod into a star. But none of the Great American Songbook volumes strayed from the tried and true, which may have been part of the reason they were big hits -- after all, familiar songs are always warmly received when they're performed in a familiar fashion -- but they were filled with undistinguished performances that bordered on laziness. It was possible to make excuses for his performances, chief among them that Stewart was simply not rooted in this material, so he simply chose the easiest route out of the song, but it didn't change the fact that all three records were deadly dull, even if they were enormous successes one and all. It's hard to give up that success, particularly for a veteran who was so desperate for a hit a few years back, he foolishly attempted the clunky modern R&B album Human, so it's not surprising that when he moved on from the Great American Songbook, he chose a related project: Great Rock Classics of Our Time, which is the subtitle of 2006's Still the Same, his first new record since GAS, and one that shares the aesthetic of that respectful and commercial trawl through the past. Still the Same finds Rod singing 13 songs that more or less could be called rock standards, every one of them hits since Stewart himself was a hitmaker, most of them dating from the '70s, when he was a superstar (roughly ten, if you count "Love Hurts" as a hit for Nazareth, which in this context you should). Not a bad idea at all, at least on paper, since this would seem to return Rod to his strengths: singing rock & roll and pop, influenced by soul and a little bit of country and folk. This theory has a bit of a problem, however. It's made under the assumption that it would be the Rod of the '70s singing songs from the '70s instead of the Rod of the new millennium singing songs of the '70s -- and the latter, of course, is what is featured on Still the Same. That means instead of Rod the Interpreter you get Rod the Karaoke Star, singing over arrangements that aren't merely familiar, but nearly exact replicas of the original hits. This isn't far removed from The Great American Songbook, which never offered a surprise, but those at least had the excellent work of Richard Perry, who was faithful without being slavish. Here, almost without exception, the arrangements deliberately recall the original hits, right down to grace notes and throwaway fills. This doesn't necessarily make for a lousy record, since Rod does indeed sound more comfortable fronting a rock band than he did singing with a big band, but Stewart makes no attempt to stamp these tunes with his own personality. Nowhere is that truer than on "It's a Heartache." Bonnie Tyler's delivery on the original was a downright homage to Rod, so close to his raspy phrasing that it was (and is) often mistaken for Rod himself. So what does he do on his version? He copies it, right down to the inflections. It's not bad; it's just pointless, because Tyler's original sounds more like classic Rod than Rod's does here. And while that sentiment may hold true for only "It's a Heartache," the rest of the album follows suit. The title Still the Same is all too true: these are the same versions of the same old songs you know and love, only they're now sleepily sung by Stewart. It's not the worst album he's done, and it's an improvement over The Great American Songbook if only because it plays to his strengths, but it aspires to be nothing more than pleasant and it achieves nothing so much as being just that. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'The Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Vol. 4'
Release Date 9/27/2005
Tracks 13
Label J-Records
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Ever since he successfully reinvented himself as a lounge singer in 2002 with It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook, Rod Stewart has been reliable as clockwork, releasing a collection of classic pop standards every second or third week of October. Four albums in, producers may have come and gone -- Phil Ramone left last time, Richard Perry is no longer around, leaving producer Steve Tyrell and arranger Bob Mann as the men in charge (of course, Clive Davis, the mastermind behind this whole shebang, is still here) -- but Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Vol. 4 is like the preceding discs in the series. There are more duets -- the first volume had none, the second had two, the third had four, and this has seven, including instrumental appearances by George Benson and Chris Botti -- and Stewart does sound a lot more casual overall on this fourth volume than he has before, but these are very minor differences. These volumes are successful because they appeal to listeners raised on rock yet who are nostalgic for their parents' music, without wanting to hear the original recorded versions. So, bully for Rod the Mod -- he's found a way to have a successful career as a veteran without embarrassing himself as he did on Human. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook, Vol. 2'
Release Date 10/7/2003
Tracks 14
Label J-Records
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Thanks to Clive Davis, Rod Stewart found a career revival in 2002 with It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook, the album that refashioned the lovable rogue into a swanky swinger. Davis' gamble paid off -- he figured that the public, already aware of Stewart's status as a great singer, would believe that he could sing classic pop songs as well as he sang rock, soul, and folk, and he was right: the public did buy the record. But just because a record sells doesn't necessarily mean that it's all that good, and It Had to Be You suffered from one simple thing: Stewart's talents and skills are not well-suited for traditional pop. Still, the concept was a good one so the record sold and spawned a sequel, As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook, Vol. 2. Released a year later, nearly to the day, As Time Goes By is basically the same album as It Had to Be You, relying on a similar song selection of well-worn warhorses and adhering to the same simple, straight-ahead cocktail-bar arrangements as its predecessor. There are some slight differences, most notably the presence of two duets: a version of "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered" with Cher, while Queen Latifah joins in on the title song (neither cut is very good, but Latifah is much better than Cher, who is less-suited for this material than Rod). Then, there's the slight upper hand of producer Richard Perry, who helms more tracks this time around than the other two producers, Clive Davis and Phil Ramone, who are also returning from It Had to Be You Overall, the album has a looser feel, but that doesn't mean more relaxed; it means sloppy -- to the point that the producers failed to correct a glaring computerized vocal correction error at 1:20 on the opening track, "Time After Time." Stewart's delivery is lazy and unfocused; his asides and offhand turns of phrase work wonders on rock, pop, and soul, where it's more about being in the moment than being in the song, but on finely crafted songs like these, precision is needed and Stewart's delivery makes it seem like he just doesn't have his heart in it. He never sounds bad; he merely sounds awkward on occasion, but the record is so casual that it doesn't make much of a difference. As Time Goes By just coasts by on its style and concept, which is about as satisfying and pleasant as it was the first time out, but the slight differences -- the duets, the sloppiness -- make the artifice more apparent this time around. It still works as background music, though, for those who buy into the concept. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Every Beat of My Heart'
Release Date 5/2/2000
Tracks 10
Label Wea International
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
With classical pianist Kevin Savigar established as his song-writing partner, Rod Stewart marched into the mid-1980s in finer shape than he had for a few years. Every Beat Of My Heart was his fifteenth solo album and, after the disappointments of the preceding Body Wishes and Camouflage, the wistful romance of the title track alone suggested that he was back in track.Unfortunately, it was not to be. One could compile a genuinely excellent collection from across Stewart's entire 80s output. But Every Beat Of My Heart, like the LPs on either side of it, found him foundering directionless in a sea of, on the one hand, syrupy schmaltz; and, on the other, clichéd rockers, with just the occasional flash of style sneaking in, to remind us why we even cared any longer. "Love Touch', which join "Every Beat" in the singles chart (courtesy of its starring role in the movie Legal Eagles) was certainly one of the weakest numbers he had ever touched, while the likes of "Here To Eternity" and "Another Heartache" might have been tolerable if Stewart hadn't already recorded them a dozen times already.But his version of the Beatles' "In My Life" is beautiful, as heartfelt as he ever sounded and, again the title track is equally remarkable. It's just that two songs out of ten really isn't a good return on the price of an album. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
'When We Were the New Boys'
Release Date 6/2/1998
Tracks 10
Label Warner Bros.
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
When We Were the New Boys finds Rod Stewart tackling the music of his Brit-pop offspring and coming to terms with his pub rock roots. It's a bit of a risky move, since he could have embarrassed himself with stodgy singing but, surprisingly, he (more or less) pulls it off. Granted, he's not nearly as energetic as he once was, and he stumbles on occasion, but he recasts Oasis' "Cigarettes and Alcohol," Primal Scream's "Rocks," and Graham Parker's "Hotel Chambermaid" as comfortable rockers in the vein of "Hot Legs." They're not as vibrant as the Gallaghers' rolling thunder or Bobby Gillespie's ironic classicism, but they're easily the best rockers Rod has cut in ages. Yet, like on any of his '90s records, he really shines on the ballads, giving Ron Sexsmith's "Secret Heart," Nick Lowe's gorgeous "Shelly My Love," and Mike Scott's "What Do You Want Me to Do" lovely, unadorned readings, while letting his sentimental streak slip through in his original "When We Were the New Boys" and a cover of the Faces' "Ooh La La," originally sung by Ron Wood. These unabashedly recall his rowdy, youthful days with the Faces, and they're warmly nostalgic. He may be reveling in memory and trying recapture his youth, but Rod hasn't sounded this comfortable in years. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Following the success of Unplugged...and Seated, Rod Stewart had shrewdly repositioned himself as a mature, middle-aged man who still had a slight streak of his wilder days in him. Unsurprisingly, the music both recalled his past glories in instrumentation, yet the attack was different -- the acoustics rocked, but it wasn't bracing; it was like a back-porch jam session. Stewart expanded that approach on A Spanner in the Works, his first album since Unplugged. The acoustics are still there, but they're strummed a little more gently and set in a bed of unobtrusive synths. More importantly, Stewart tackles his most ambitious and varied set of material since A Night on the Town. From the pop/rock of Tom Petty's "Leave Virginia Alone" and the reflective take on Dylan's "Sweetheart Like You" through the R&B tribute of "Muddy, Sam and Otis" and the rocking "Delicious" to the British folk of "Purple Heather," the songs recall his classic early albums in ambition and musical diversity. A Spanner in the Works isn't quite as successful as Gasoline Alley or Every Picture Tells a Story -- it's a content album, not a probing one, which is appropriate for a middle-aged singer -- yet it is the most inspired and ambitious record Stewart released in nearly 20 years. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Unplugged...and Seated'
Release Date 5/25/1993
Tracks 15
Label Warner Bros.
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Eric Clapton's Unplugged turned the MTV series into a pop culture phenomenon, one that was especially appealing to veteran rockers because all they had to do was dust off their old hits and give them a nice, relaxed reading -- the perfect re-imagining for middle-aged rock stars. Rod Stewart leaped at the opportunity and, in many ways, he seemed even better suited for the gig than Clapton as much of his '70s prime prominently featured acoustic guitars, including "Maggie May," "Every Picture Tells a Story," and "Gasoline Alley." Stewart upped the ante by reuniting with his old friend and Faces bandmate Ron Wood, giving Unplugged...and Seated the appearance of an event...an appearance that was entirely intentional. That Unplugged...and Seated falls well short of actually being an event is a disappointment but also inevitable. Where Clapton's Unplugged was a natural phenomenon, a blockbuster delivered with no preconceived notions, Unplugged...and Seated is designed as a hits revue, playing upon nostalgia while delivering mellow sounds for middle age. This is no bad thing, necessarily, particularly when the song selection is so strong -- all the big hits from that early-'70s golden age, plus Rod's recent cover of Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately," Tom Waits' "Tom Traubert's Blues," and a reworked version of the folk standard "Highgate Shuffle" thrown in for good measure -- and the chemistry between Stewart and Wood is still so cheerful. Occasionally, this frivolity is a wee bit forced but that's not quite as big of a problem as the punchy, professional production; these are ultimately nothing more than mild signs of road wear on a record that's a nice night out with the boys, nothing more, nothing less. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Rod Stewart continued to regain his strength with Vagabond Heart, the follow-up to his comeback album, Out of Order. Vagabond Heart is a stronger, more diverse album than its predecessor, featuring a more consistent set of songs, including Robbie Robertson's "Broken Arrow" and the hit "Motown Song," as well as a convincing, impassioned performance by Stewart. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
