Hello!

Let me chime in and say that Laurent's summation of Robert Hart's solo CDs is quite accurate. As a big fan of The Distance, I found Cries and Whispers to be much softer and slicker than the Distance album. There is a marked Westcoast approach to the production (i.e.,horn sections, the then-popular DX7 electric piano sound, lots of well-know L.A. session players). I found it to be not as readily accessible as the Distance, but then again I am not a big West Coast fan. Overall, I'd say it is pretty good but not what you might expect (I found it not too long ago for $3.99 US, so I probably shouldn't complain).

The second CD is more of an AOR release. Although it has some poppy moments, there is a definite rock edge to it. A close comparison (to my ears) production-wise is the (Paul Rodgers)Law CD. Tracks like "Running Man", "Heart and Soul" and "Down on the Corner" are good pop tunes wearing an AOR coating. The only real misstep is his cover of Elvin Bishop's "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" (is it me or does Mickey Thomas seem to be able to pull this off best?). All told, I have to say that it this disc still holds up really well today and gets frequent plays in my stereo.

Either CD is worth having, but I think #2 is the more solid of the two.

Regards,

Chris D.