Phil Collins has being copping flak for
a while now, from music critics to satirical animated comedies such
as South Park, it appears the former Genesis drummer is seen as being
a soft target for a myriad of reasons. And some of this criticism is
purportedly viewed as being a catalyst for his seemingly short-lived
retirement from the music biz in 2010. But I would like to put it
out there that I have nothing against Mr. Collins and his music –
au contraire, if it wasn't for hits such as “Two
Hearts”, “One More
Night”, and the David Crosby duet, “Another
Day in Paradise”, I wouldn't have this blog at all.
Indeed, “One More Night” is one
of the first songs I remember listening to back in the mid-late
1980s, when I was just a kid. It was a somewhat somber number, emotively powerful,
slow-paced but not too tedious, yet when I hear it and the nostalgia
kicks in it reminds me of the time when my love of music was being
developed in an era in which I really understood the meaning of being
happy. But whilst my
appreciation of this particular song and its nostalgic properties
dates back around 28 years or so, experiencing the rest of the album
from which it derives from, No Jacket Required,
has been a relatively recent
event. And the experience I must say has been a surprisingly
pleasant one. Most of the songs on here, I shall admit, have kept
the repeat button rather busy as of late - “Don't Lose My Number”, “I
Don't Wanna Know”, “Who
Said I Would?”, “Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore?” and
of course, the very
familiar “Sussudio” and “One More Night” are all equal
favorites of mine. Less
significant, but still pleasing to the ear nonetheless are “Long Long
Way To Go” and “Inside Out”, both of which still manage to score a worthy thumbs up
from yours truly. Everything else on the album, I must confess, I'm rather apathetic to. But that's purely my personal opinion. A-