Glenn Frey
Strange Weather (MCA) (STAR)(STAR)1/2
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It may be cynical to call ”Strange Weather” Glenn Frey`s social-consciousness album, but that`s an apt description of his fourth solo album since the demise of the Eagles. Previously Frey`s solo work has alternated between gooey love songs (”True Love”) and movie and TV show anthems (”The Heat Is On,” ”You Belong to the City”). Now, perhaps following the lead of former Eagles partner Don Henley, Frey has gotten topical. He warns about the ailing environment in ”Long Hot Summer,” belatedly castigates Ronald Reagan in ”He Took Advantage,” decries rampant materialism in ”I`ve Got Mine” and ”Big Life,” and ponders romance in the post-AIDS era in ”Love in the 21st Century.” Unfortunately, Frey comes off as just another Johnny-come-lately on the relevancy bandwagon, while the album`s best songs (”Part of Me, Part of You,” ”Strange Weather”) leave the politics outside the bedroom door.
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