B. J. Thomas - On My Way / Young And In Love (2010)

On My Way is an appropriate title for B.J. Thomas’ third album, as this is the record that put the Texas singer on a path toward the top of the charts thanks to the hit “Hooked on a Feeling.” Buzzing with sitars and draped in strings, this single is a quintessential piece of late-‘60s pop, and it illustrates how far Thomas has moved from the rootless roots music of his first two Sceptre albums. Surely, there are traces of that country-soul singer, particularly on the slow ballad “Four Walls,” but a better indication to where B.J.’s head is at is in his loungey replica of Jose Feliciano’s reworking of “Light My Fire” and a super-smooth reading of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” These two cuts are unapologetically adult contemporary, suggesting the direction he would later take in his career, but on the whole, On My Way doesn’t find Thomas idling in the middle of the road, preferring the paisley-colored pop of “Hooked on a Feeling” for the bulk of the record. “The Eyes of a New York Woman” is cut from the same cloth as “Hooked” -- appropriately enough, it’s written by the same songwriter, Mark James -- as is the beguilingly awkward stab at social relevancy “Mr. Businessman,” but this spangly production is also applied to the fuzz-guitar-and-organ ballad “Gone,” the syrupy strings of “Sandman,” and the tempered country-soul of “I Saw Pity in the Face of a Friend.” These are stronger songs than Thomas received on his first two records, and the production is richer, more colorful, and it all results in his most satisfying LP to date.

Building upon the success of “Hooked on a Feeling,” B.J. Thomas headed to Memphis to record his fourth LP, Young and in Love. Having a hit helped focus his record making, which heretofore had been a bit too scattershot, pushing him toward a produced paisley pop and subdued soul. Previously, he had range, but not a personality, but now he had one: a mainstream smoothie, riding the trends but not pushing them, singing with soul but only occasionally singing soul…and when he did, it was for a pop audience. This creation of a persona helped Thomas and his producers pick the right songs to fit his image, and they do rely heavily on hits for other artists: Thomas sings “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” “The Worst That Could Happen,” “Hurting Each Other,” “Solitary Man,” “Never Had it So Good,” and even dips his toe into country with “Skip a Rope.” This leaves the rather excellent opener “Pass the Apple Eve,” “It’s Only Love,” and Spooner Oldham/Dan Penn’s “I Pray for Rain,” as the major songs debuting here, but it also means that song for song this is his strongest collection of material, and even if Thomas doesn’t interpret these songs, he merely sings them, he sings them well and with a state-of-the-art 1969 production that remains appealing decades later. It’s one of his best albums.