If you like Billy Joel but are afraid to admit it, this is your chance to put the Soft Rock back into your collection. Gonzales delivers an uncanny Joel impression as well as calling up images of Steely Dan.
Personally, I’m not sure if my soft spot for Gonzales is going to survive ‘Soft Power’. Gonzales made an amazing piano album in 2004, ‘Solo Piano’, which was stunningly beautiful. That albums greatest asset were the songs. ‘Soft Power’, on the other hand is very much a ’sound’ album, it conjures up a convincing 1970s soft Rock sound, but the songs don’t really cut it. With that kind of material, I doubt Gonzales would have made a name for himself competing against Joel, Air Supply, 10CC and cohorts in their day.
So what is the point in doing this now? There is a Soft Rock revival on the go, quietly driven by a small-ish part of the dance scene that is obsessed with 70s disco rock. But other players service that market with stronger records.
‘Soft Power’ is not meant to be ironic either. ‘I don’t do ironic. My music is entertainment,’ Gonzales told Radio France International in a recent interview.
If you are feeling nostalgic for a bit of carefully crafted rock on a mellow tip, then ‘Soft Power’ might be just the album for you. In all other circumstance you’ll knock more fun out of ‘his previous album Solo Piano’.
Do yourself a favour, listen to ‘Solo Piano’ and download the album from iTunes.
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