Hall & Oates

Voices

The album that introduced H/O after a decade in obscurity

Review Score:

(10/10)
Daryl Hall & John Oates started out in the 1970s as a pseudo-folk duo that could not have been more of a failure in the music business. Until the middle of the decade, Hall & Oates' albums all sold poorly; then in 1977, BIGGER THAN BOTH OF US went gold on the strength of the #1 hit "Rich Girl". After coasting out the rest of the decade, Hall & Oates finally exploded as pop sensations with their 1980 album VOICES. The amount of hits on this album is staggering with 4 top 40 hits. Indeed, these are the album's biggest highlights: the melodic opener "How Does It Feel To Be Back" (one of the rare times Oates wrote a hit single); a 2nd #1 with "Kiss On My List" (the biggest f-you ever to conquer the pop charts); a cover of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" that very nearly beats the Righteous Brothers at its own game; "You Make My Dreams" (revived thanks to that '80s valentine THE WEDDING SINGER). While those may have been the songs to reach the charts, VOICES still features some unheralded greats like new wave-y "United State" and the synthesized doo-wop of "Gotta Lotta Nerve" which accurately shows the duo's roots in soul music. In the 1980s, Hall & Oates became household names and were all over the radio. Those looking to find out where it all started will be perfectly suited with VOICES, a virtual greatest hits album in all but name.

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