Michael Bolton - Time, Love & Tenderness (1991)

I don't have much need of Bolton's music, but I wouldn't go so far as to call him a "no-talent-ass-clown." However, I've always liked the Diane Warren title track from this CD. I had an old Napster copy of the tune, but when I saw this CD yesterday in the clearance bin for $1, I figured why not - how bad can it be? Well, let's spin this thing and see:

Hey, I recognize the first track, Love Is A Wonderful Thing, probably because it peaked at #4 on the pop charts. It was the subject of a plagiarism lawsuit with the Isley Brothers (Bolton lost). And there's the sweet title track. As I'm turning up the volume, the only thing I can think is how '90s this sounds. Checking the credits, the "programmers" get equal billing with the musicians.

Oh jeez, is that Kenny G? I'll power through it. Same for the cover of When A Man Loves A Woman (with American Idol's Randy Jackson on bass). Patti LaBelle's (Patti!) talents are wasted on track 7. The rest of the tunes are fairly innocuous examples of what passed for adult contemporary back then, what lots of synth drums, overwrought lyrics, and bombastic arrangements. For what it's worth, the final track appears to have been co-written by Bolton and Bob Dylan(?).

So there's a dollar well-spent. The title track is still awesome in my book, though.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #1 (1 week, May 25, 1991)

Tracks: see above

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go visit The Legend of the Longbox.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None