Phil Collins ‎– …But Seriously (1989, WEA)

Media VG+
Sleeve VG+

Format : K7
Cat N° : 256984-4
Style : Soft Rock, Pop Rock

“Phil Collins is a perfect example of the contemporary English megastar. He’s personable, photogenic, witty, quotable and damn near ubiquitous, thanks to concurrent careers as Genesis frontman, solo singer-songwriter and sometime actor. Better still, he backs up that public image with precisely the sort of light, expressive voice and catchy, upbeat melodies tailor-made for American radio. As a result, Collins would seem to have everything a pop star would want, with one exception: respect. As far as the pop establishment is concerned, Collins is a lightweight, a fluff merchant, a man whose music rarely strays beyond such tried-and-true topics as love, longing and broken hearts.

That’s an image he tries to put behind him with … But Seriously, an album that avoids frivolity at all costs. Sure, there are romantic numbers, the usual tales of love gone wrong, but from “Colours,” an earnest objection to apartheid, to “Heat on the Street,” a muddled warning against political hypocrisy and urban unrest, the album’s greatest energies are focused on social, not personal, problems. Instead of turning each tune into a short sermon, however, Collins puts his pop smarts to work and tries to make his point the same way he’d sell any other song idea — first by folding it into an easily rhymed lyric, then by wrapping it in a catchy but understated melody.” Rolling Stone