Richard Marx – Limitless

Richard Marx may have all but disappeared from the consciousness of the casual spectator, but he’s still out there doing his thing.

Written by: gdmonline

ARTIST: Richard Marx
ALBUM: Limitless
LABEL: BMG
SERIAL: 538505892
YEAR: 2020

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

LINEUP: Richard Marx – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizer bass * Steve Brewster – drums * Jerry McPherson – guitar,10-string guitar * Jason Webb – keyboards * Mark Hill – bass * Morgan Page – synthesizer, programming * Matt Scannell – acoustic guitar, bass, drum programming * Michael Jade – electric guitar, keyboards, background vocals

Additional Musicians: Jana Kramer – co lead vocals (#8)

TRACK LISTING: 01 Another One Down * 02 Limitless * 03 Love Affair That Lasts Forever * 04 Let Go * 05 All Along * 06 Up All Night * 07 Front Row Seat * 08 Strong Enough (feat Jana Kramer) * 09 Not In Love * 10 Break My Heart Tonight * 11 Last Thing I Wanted * 12 This One

RATING:

WEBLINKS: Site Link

Background

There was a point on the AOR and melodic rock timeline where Richard Marx was the anointed god of our beloved sub-genre. Even more esteemed than the mighty Bryan Adams or Sir Michael Bolton! Yes, that might have been three decades ago and he may have all but disappeared from the consciousness of the casual spectator, but he’s still out there doing his thing, and Glory Daze is doing its thing to keep his name in lights.

Which brings us to his latest album in 2020 called ‘Limitless’, which I picked up on Google Play Music the other week, the album officially released last month on February 7th. The music on offer is very easy on the ear, and sits right in the middle of the adult contemporary pop genre, which means it’s not quite AOR nor West Coast, but I’m ok with that.

The Songs

Initially, I gave the album a good listen and enjoyed what was filtering through the speakers. It’s been a long while since I sat down with a Richard Marx album. It was like experiencing a time travel jaunt back to 1989 when his hit album ‘Repeat Offender’ was all the rage on the radio. ‘Angelia’ anyone?

Admittedly there is no ‘Angelia’ on this new set of songs, but that voice is oh-so recognisable and sings out across the decades of time like a bell chime. ‘Another One Down’ is an understated entrance, but comes to life thanks to a lively chorus. The title track ‘Limitless’ is a catchy little number that showcases Marx’s ability in the songwriting department, that much is true.

The next pairing of ‘Love Affair That Lasts Forever’ and ‘Let Go’ features the same ambient piano as a motif though they do head in a slightly different direction, the former a slow-mo track, the latter a blatant pop excursion. Richard ramps up with ‘All Along’, an excellent modern radio rocker, the chorus reminiscent of synthwave heroes FM-84 and their brilliant track ‘Never Stop’. Some endorsement!

Continuing the modern pop theme is ‘Up All Night’, I’m guessing this is the sort of song that could dominate rock radio playlists throughout the USA; kinda jangly, kinda appealing to millennials too. You could land ‘Front Row Seat’ in the same category, and from where I’m sitting, I am reminded of Aussie pop rocker Dion Bayman.

‘Strong Enough’ features a duet with Jana Kramer, which sounds as if it was birthed in a Nashville studio, pleasant enough, with nice instrumentation too. The piano ballad ‘Not In Love’ was probably a touch too poignant and doesn’t get out of first gear. So too ‘Break My Heart Tonight’ which hardly breaks a sweat, the finger snaps initially setting the metronome, though percussion kicks in soon after.

The closing pair ‘Last Thing I Wanted’ and ‘This One’ sign off in an understated fashion, much like how the album started off. ‘This One’ is as a gentle a piano/acoustic guitar duo as you can get. Perfect for the Coffee House audiences I reckon.

In Summary

It was an interesting exercise reviewing this album. Not so much for the novelty value, but to actually assess where Richard is long after his successful era. Apart from one track (‘All Along’), the material here is equipped for modern audiences, perhaps even for those who weren’t even born when songs like ‘Endless Summer Nights’ and ‘Right Here Waiting’ were staples on the radio.

‘Limitless’ I’ll say is not an album to get Glory Daze readers that enthused over, I think they’ll prefer going back to listen to those first three albums. That’s where the real gems lie, but there’s no getting over that voice and there are a few goodies to be found here. Investigate with an open mind.

Richard Marx on Video

Another One Down

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