KENNY ROGERS - THEY DON'T MAKE THEM LIKE THEY USED TO

I know what you're thinking... Why on earth would I have a Kenny Rogers cd in my collection???!!! Right? Well, the answer is sadly quite simple. Believe it or not, Prince wrote a song for Kenny on this disc. Of course to avoid any awkwardness on either side, he used a pseudonym. Regardless, my relentless pursuit of Prince music inspired this purchase.

I realize I'm missing something when it comes to Rogers. I seem to miss out on that something with most vocalists. I just don't understand how people can fanatically follow an artist based solely on their vocal delivery. Of course I have a couple artists I'm interested in who are considered vocalists. One is Alison Krauss. She doesn't write any original material and yet I find the way she and her band arrange the music is quite phenomenal. Songs I wouldn't normally give a second glance receive attention after she performs them. Not so with Kenny.

In all fairness to his fame, I've given the disc an impartial listen. I listened all the way through... more than once. Maybe it's the generic arrangements, but nothing stands out. Even the Prince track is lackluster. Of course the instrumentation is arranged and performed by Rogers' producers and features no input from Prince whatsoever. Still, the song has more momentum and drive for a mid tempo ballad than any other track on the disc. Rogers enlisted the aid of other popular songwriters on this project. Michael Bolton and Burt Bacharach contributed songs. Sadly, none of them really live up the reputations of their authors. 'Anything At All' has potential but in this case, falls rather flat. You can check out the interesting background vocals by El DeBarge on the Prince number, 'You're My Love'.
My final word: YIKES. Aside from the Prince track, there's nothing worth mentioning about this boring record unless you enjoy mediocre 80s filler pop. Rogers himself once sung, "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run."

My advice? Run.

KENNY ROGERS - THEY DON'T MAKE THEM LIKE THEY USED TO
01. This Love We Share
02. If I Could Hold On To Love
03. You're My Love
04. Time For Love
05. They Don't Make Them Like They Used To
06. Life Is Good, Love Is Better
07. Just The Thought Of Losing You
08. Anything At All
09. After All This Time
10. Twenty Years Ago