Kenny Loggins Leap Of Faith (1991)

With a genuine hit to his credit, Kenny Loggins decided to stretch himself a bit on Keep the Fire, hiring Tom Dowd and toughening his sound slightly, adding a more flamboyant production in the process. He also decided to look like Doug Henning on the cover, which may be a surer sign that success had started to go to his head. All this resulted in a self-consciously tougher record than either of its predecessors, with a punchy sound, detailed production, and shades of boogie. Relying more on original material, this winds up being more uneven than Nightwatch, but it boasts more character, even if that means something as silly as "Mr. Night." Also, the record, though clearly presented as a relative band effort, complete with a photo of the supporting band on the back cover, winds up not being as unified as its two predecessors, even if it's more "band-like"…

Freed from Loggins & Messina, Kenny Loggins retreats from that duo's folky conceits, turning to smooth, smooth soft rock, filled with leisurely paces, lush strings and electric pianos and easy attitude - so it's no surprise when you discover this is a co-production by Billy Joel's chief collaborator Phil Ramone and Bob James. There is a bit of surprise that this album doesn't really have any big hits to its credit, especially since Loggins would later have several Top Ten records, but this is a consistent record, maintaining its mellow mood even when the tempo picks up for the relatively insistent "I Believe in Love." Loggins is in good form throughout the record, and if even only the title track entered his readily-acknowledged canon, this has a fine, sustained mood: a soft late '70s vibe that makes it a nice artifact of its time, as well as one of his stronger records, as illustrated by its platinum status - something it achieved without any blockbuster singles.

Disregard the self-styled epic title track, a seven-and-half-minute indulgence that may be a bid for artistic credibility yet leads nowhere and doesn't have much to do with what follows. Nightwatch is, by and large, a more focused affair than his first. Granted, his first holds a mood better, a slice of great late '70s soft rock, but this has more pep and hooks, from the sprightly "Easy Drive" to a cover of Billy Joe Royal's "Down in the Boondocks" or, especially, the warm Stevie Nicks duet "Whenever I Call You Friend," which brought Loggins his first solo hit. These signal that this rocks a bit harder than its predecessor, which is true - while "Down 'N Dirty" may not be filthy, even with its harmonica, it does hit harder than anything on its predecessor (which, admittedly, is on a relative scale)…

The bilingual David DUCHOVNY (he speaks French and English) became world famous as an actor in the series Melrose Place. His true love, however, is the music and after following the necessary vocal and guitar lessons in 2002 he considered the time ripe for an album…