Phil Collins

Blue-Eyed Soul numbers such as "Sussudio," "Don't Lose My Number," and the ballad "One More Night" gleaned Phil Collins a universal radio presence in 1985, and serve as three very good reasons why No Jacket Required won the Grammy for Album of the Year. This LP, one of Collins' best, stands as a must-have for fans.

Phil Collins' sudden transformation from the balding bantam drummer for a prosperous
British art-rock group into a mainstream pop heartthrob might seem one of the Eighties'
most improbable success stories. But judging from the sly craft and warm, low-key humor
of his solo records and his successful productions for Philip Bailey and Frida, Collins'
newfound fame was inevitable. His effortless graft of bright white-R&B bounce to... More >

Between his self-deprecating videos and his good taste in business associates (better Philip Bailey than, say, Steve Perry), Collins isn't as hateful as an art-rock leader-by-default turned best-selling-solo-artist-in-the-world-this-month might be. In fact, he's not hateful at all. But it takes more than that to make me want to hear a stupid love song again. Never mind the absolutely unsurprising lyrics and arrangements and just tell me why this is a great mean of Britpop voices? Is it because no one ever wonders what it sounds like unfiltered? (Grade - C)