Glenn Frey - After Hours (Deluxe Edition) (2012) [Hi-Res]

Like so many of his baby boomer peers, Glenn Frey is getting a little misty as he's reaching his golden years so he's chosen to look back to the past -- all the way past rock & roll and to the standards of the days before Elvis, picking a bunch of classics for the mellow covers album After Hours. Aging rebel that he is, Frey bends the rules a bit so he can shoehorn in songs by Brian Wilson ("Caroline, No") and Randy Newman ("Same Girl") along with Burt Bacharach's "The Look of Love," the latter suggesting the true vibe of After Hours. It's halfway between cabaret and lounge, smooth and relaxed and just this side of cornball. Frey has never been a vocal powerhouse, but his subdued singing is a strength here as he eases into the gossamer arrangements, letting everything glide by with poise. It's music for smoky, romantic late nights -- nothing more and nothing less. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine