Paul Carrack "Twenty-One Good Reasons" 1994

A nifty idea for a compilation, Twenty-One Good Reasons: The Paul Carrack Collection gathers not only Carrack's solo hits, but all the major songs by other artists on which he sang lead: Ace's Top Five smash "How Long," Squeeze's new wave classic "Tempted," Mike + the Mechanics' "Silent Running" and the number one ballad "The Living Years," and two duets with country singer Carlene Carter from her 1981 album Blue Nun…...As such, it's the definitive overview of Carrack's career. If you're a somewhat anonymous journeyman, you don't stick around as long as Carrack has, or participate in so many different projects, without demonstrating your versatility. Carrack shows himself to be comfortable with bright, bouncy pop, post-new wave roots rock, smooth adult contemporary, and sentimental ballads. But his true forte is the sort of blue-eyed soul that became popular in the post-Hall & Oates era. His clear, soulful pipes are already in evidence on the four selections culled from his tenure with Ace, which bridges into the Squeeze and Carter songs, and then into 12 selections culled from his solo albums. There are a couple of fine Nick Lowe co-writes in "I Live on a Battlefield" and the early hit "I Need You," plus a fine cover of Jackie DeShannon's folk-rock classic "When You Walk in the Room." The high point is Carrack's terrific 1988 Top Ten hit "Don't Shed a Tear," a catchy, modern blue-eyed soul track that fit comfortably into Top 40, adult contemporary, and mainstream rock radio, and even landed him some MTV airplay. Even if Carrack's production is far more synthetic than one usually associates with the term "soul," he proves himself quite a solid stylist over the course of this surprisingly ingratiating collection. - AllMusic Review by Steve Hueytrax:
1. How Long - Ace 2. The Real Feeling - Ace 3. No Future In Your Eyes - Ace 4. You're All That I Need - Ace 5. Tempted - Squeeze 6. Do Me Lover - Paul Carrack & Carlene Carter 7. Oh How Happy - Paul Carrack & Carlene Carter 8. The Rumour - Paul Carrack 9. I Need You - Paul Carrack 10. Always Better With You - Paul Carrack 11. A Little Unkind - Paul Carrack 12. One Good Reason - Paul Carrack 13. Don't Shed A Tear - Paul Carrack 14. Button Off My Shirt - Paul Carrack 15. When You Walk In The Room - Paul Carrack 16. I Live By the Groove - Paul Carrack 17. Only My Heart Can Tell - Paul Carrack 18. Battlefield - Paul Carrack 19. Loveless - Paul Carrack 20. Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground) - Mike + The Mechanics 21. The Living Years - Mike + The Mechanics