Huey Lewis and the News
Hard at Play (EMI) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) 1/2
In the music business, taking a couple of years off can be tantamount to commercial suicide. It`s too early to tell how Lewis` lengthy vacation will affect his income, but musically, Huey and company are definitely not yesterday`s News-they`ve come back stronger than ever. It would be easy to quibble over a couple of weak selections such as ”Attitude” and ”Do You Love Me or What,” or crank up the tired refrain about how Lewis is an average vocalist at best. But that`s irrelevant to the overall quality of ”Hard at Play,” which ranks with anything the band has ever done. The only question that remains is whether worthy tunes such as ”Hits Me Like a Hammer,” ”Best of Me” and the working-man`s anthem, ”All I Need Is a Couple Days Off,” can find a place on dance- and rap-happy radio.
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