Huey Lewis and the News

On their second LP, Huey Lewis and the News prove they can cut loose when they feel
like it, but more often they make nice with a brace of soulful pop confections designed to
subliminally tweak the ears of today's half-tuned-in Walkman and -woman. Which is not to
detract from the considerable achievement here: these guys have managed to gather
together so many competing currents in one place that Picture This is a virtual sa... More >

The onetime Marin country-rocker and Elvis C. backer-upper is now working a working-guy variation on Rindy Ross (Quarterflash, dummy), cutting his macho strut with pop moues and knowing nods at women's lib. Though he has none of Springsteen's feeling for narrative and sings from the diaphragm rather than the gut, he's canny enough to pick good covers and writes his share of reasonable facsimiles: "Workin for a Livin" could be primo Bob Seger and "The Only One" is worthy of Geldof or Lynott if not the master. But Chris Hayes's metal furbelows soon remind you how much Huey sounds like Louie (Gramm) (Foreigner, dummy). I mean, Dewey really need one more rock pro bulling his way through options that just aren't as limited as he makes his living pretending? (Grade: B-)