The Air Supply

Fittingly for an album called Mumbo Jumbo, Air Supply do employ some smoke and mirrors on their 2010 album – perhaps more than any of their previous albums, dabbling with a variety of textures and rhythms. Although their touch remains decidedly light, this isn’t merely a collection of romantic ballads: it opens with the spooky prog pomp of “Setting the Seen”; “A Little Bit of Everything” pulsates with the clean sheen of the late ‘80s; they work up a fairly good head of steam on “Me Like You”; they get a little dirty on the slow groove of “Lovesex”; “Until” approaches the baroque; and even on something as soft as “A Little Bit More,” the acoustic guitars are unadorned in a way Air Supply never have tried. While none of the songs approach the skyscraping hooks of their soft rock classics, this isn’t the sound of a band resting on its laurels; if anything, this is one the group’s most adventurous records, which may also be why it’s one of Air Supply's best.

Air Supply is known worldwide for swooning the ladies off their feet. This time, Hitchcock and Russell are taking the festive route, recording some of the most beloved holiday classics of all time. The production standards and performances are polished and no less than what you'd expect from the duo, but of course this will not appeal to some. It's an easily accessible and enjoyable album for both casual listeners and die-hard fans of the group's output.

The Definitive Collection more than lives up to its title's promise, delivering 18 tracks, including all of Air Supply's Top 40 singles – "Lost in Love," "All Out of Love," "Every Woman in the World," "Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)," "Sweet Dreams," "Even the Nights Are Better," "Young Love," "Two Less Lonely People in the World," "Just as I Am" – plus the original Australian version of "Lost in Love." A pair of latter-day singles that didn't make the Top 40 are missing, but they're not missed, since what is here is prime Air Supply – the best songs they ever recorded. Granted, it won't convince any doubters, but this is the ideal collection for both dedicated and casual fans, while being perhaps the most listenable item in their catalog.