Christopher Cross

Christopher Cross' debut was a huge hit and widely acclaimed, at least among industry professionals (critics didn't give it a second listen), leading to multi-platinum success and Grammys. In retrospect, it might seem like the kind of success that's disproportional to the record itself, especially to hipper-than-thou younger generations, but in truth, Christopher Cross was a hell of a record – it just was a hell of a soft rock record, something that doesn't carry a lot of weight among most audiences. That doesn't erase Cross' considerable gifts as a craftsman. Yes, he does favor sentimentality and can be very sweet on the ballads, but his melodicism is rich and construction tight, so there's a sturdy foundation for the classy professional gloss provided by his studio pros and friends, including indelible backing vocals by Michael McDonald. And while the hits like the dreamy "Sailing" and the surging "Ride Like the Wind" deserved all the attention, they're hardly the only highlights here – to borrow a sports metaphor, this has a deep bench, and there's not a weak moment here. In fact, soft rock albums hardly ever came better than this, and it remains one of the best mainstream albums of its time.

Christopher Cross - Take Me As I Am (2017) {Christopher Cross Records CCR500115}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 277 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 95 Mb
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© 2017 Christopher Cross Records | CCR500115
Soft Rock / Pop Rock / Singer-Songwriter

"Take Me As I Am" is a unique offering from Christopher Cross, a hybrid of sorts – the songs are instrumentals with choruses to create the lyrical landscape. This is not quite a “guitar” album, but it leaves the listener with no question about his expertise on the subject. Two very special songs are “Roberta," dedicated to Christopher’s mentor, Joni Mitchell, and “Truth” with a lyric by Rob Meurer, one of the last songs Rob wrote before his tragic passing. This song is sung as a duet with Gigi Worth, a name that will be familiar to Christopher’s fans. Gigi and Rob were also very close, which makes her performance on this track all the more meaningful.