David Cassidy - Rock Me Baby (2003)

Former teen idol David Cassidy's second solo album for Bell Records is an attempt at blue-eyed soul that, for the most part, works well. Rock Me Baby was more expressive than anything he was allowed to record on the Partridge Family sessions. These 11 tracks show off Cassidy's vocal range (and his personal taste in music), but there's nothing as catchy here as on the Partridge Family's albums; but, then again, that was the point. Rock Me Baby doesn't contain monster hooks that are impossible to get out of your head, but the combination of blue-eyed soul and album rock trappings (utilizing a wah-wah pedal) sound almost experimental coming from Cassidy. Although Partridge Family associate Wes Farrell provided the production, it's obvious Cassidy had input in the direction and material. The highlights include the Cassidy-penned "Two Time Loser"; "Song for a Rainy Day," co-written with Kim Carnes; and a cover of the Rascals' hit "How Can I Be Sure," which suffers from a 5th Dimension-like arrangement, but includes one of Cassidy's most expressive vocal performances on record. The album's finest moment overall is the kickoff track, "Rock Me Baby," which has Cassidy transforming into Electric Warrior-era T. Rex.