YOU’RE ONLY LONELY - RAUL MALO
The title song by J.D. Souther is so derivative of “Only The Lonely” that Roy Orbison and Joe Melson should get co-writing credits; there are two versions of Randy Newman’s “Feels Like Home” (one pop, one a country duet with Martina McBride); production is by Peter Asher. Yes, for his second solo set, Malo has made a ’70s Linda Ronstadt album. While his 2001 solo debut, “Today,” showed the former Mavericks leader to be an artist of courage and imagination, this is a tepid fallback. Among the few pluses are the ghostly organ pulsations on Willie Nelson’s “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” and Ron Sexsmith’s “Secret Heart,” which has at least not been done to death. But aside from the one original co-write, the rhythmically alive “For You,” Malo doesn’t bring much depth or passion to Don Everly’s “So Sad” or the Bee Gees’ “Run to Me.” A sleepwalking version of now-overexposed “At Last” is particularly disappointing as Malo does not embrace the song’s dramatic challenge. Billboard
