Huey Lewis and The News - Plan B: ...just play that old-time rock and roll
Written: Sep 02 '04
Product Rating:
Pros: Huey and the boys still bring it – a classic bar rock/R&B blend for Everyman
Cons: Looking for that eighties News sound? Won't find it here (that's a Pro for some)
The Bottom Line: Huey Lewis and the News get back to what they do best – being one of the best bar bands ever. And they've added a full-time horn section YAY!
bob_tomato's Full Review: Plan B by Huey Lewis & The News
The Ford Thunderbird is one of my favorite cars…I'm sorry, I need to clarify that statement, don't I? The design of that car has changed greatly over it's fifty year history, and there are definite phases in it's appearance. My favorite is the original 1954 coupe – it's probably the template for how society thinks sporty convertibles should look. Everything about that car screams classic, and this year, Ford did the right thing by styling the 2004 edition after the original – it's still a thoroughly modern car, but the look is vintage…
And just what does all this have to do with Huey Lewis and the News, you may ask? Well, just as Ford re-invented the Thunderbird by embracing it's historic beginnings, Huey Lewis and the News have updated their sound by getting back to the sounds they perfected before they became famous . Gone is the eighties club rock/pseudo new wave sound that defined them in their wildly successful albums Sports and Fore. Gone are the days of huge stadium shows and funny videos all over MTV. While some may think that the band's best days are behind them, the News' 2001 release, Plan B, proves that the band has gone full circle, returning to their roots as a terrific bar band.
Ten years separate Plan B and the News' last studio album of original material, Hard At Play (they released the covers album Four Chords & Several Years Ago in 1994). Even larger than this gap of years is the difference in album sales between the records of their heyday and their last few releases. Huey and the boys have gone from multi-platinum smashes to largely unpromoted releases that fail to reach gold sales status – this is too bad, because Plan B is definitely one of the band's best recordings.
Most people can sit in a local bar, enjoying their favorite draught, and they won't complain if the live music is of the rock and roll/blues variety. Guitars, organ, a few horns, a tight bass and drum combo plus a charismatic, husky-voiced singer usually equal success at this level. It's a sound popular with Everyman, the sound of the working class, blues for blue collars. Huey Lewis and the News understand this vibe, and they can work it with the best of them. Plan B is full of happy hour lyrics and the sounds of late night revelry, a pretzels and beer sensibility tempered by nearly thirty years of experience playing together. New News-boys are horn players all – Marvin McFadden on trumpet, Ron Stallings on tenor saxophone and Rob Sudduth on tenor & baritone saxophone.
The core members of the band are mostly the same – Mario Cippolina no longer plays bass for the band, replaced ably by John Pierce. Johnny Colla still wails on sax, Chris Hayes keeps chopping away at his rhythm guitar, Sean Hopper is blessedly soulful on his keyboards, and Bill Gibson maintains a solid pace on drums. Huey Lewis may be older, a little more wrinkled than ever, but he still has a twinkle in his eye, and a knack for the harmonica,. His singing voice is still raspy as ever, rough around the edges, but you can tell from his delivery that there is nothing else in the world he would rather be doing…
The album opens with the sounds of a local bar, setting you up with the right atmosphere for enjoying these songs. The band declares it's new mission statement in the first track - We're Not Here For A Long Time (We're Here For A Good Time), and throughout the whole album, you can hear that they mean it
There's a party down on the corner, do you want to go?
They got rhythm, a little blues, and a whole lot of soul
I don't care what you've got to say
You're comin' with me anyway
We're not here for a long time
We're here for a good time
That phrase they got rhythm, a little blues, and a whole lot of soul describes the classic sound that can be heard on Plan B. Standout tracks include the bluesy I Ain't Perfect (probably the closest thing on this album to anything the News recorded back in the eighties), Thank You #19 - a neat song of gratitude for a loving partner that also thanks musical inspirations Marvin Gaye, Sam and Dave, and Sly Stone for their contributions to all of us. I'm Not In Love Yet is a strong duet with Wynonna Judd – her voice is perfectly matched with Huey's, a song of two older adults exploring the beginnings of a solid relationship, carefully considering what they mean to each other. It's a gentle, easy-going song that hints at the confidence two people have gained from experience, unafraid to share their fears with each other. It's a song about REAL love, not some breathy teen-pop ear candy that smacks of impossibly Hollywood-esque romance.
Reality is the strength of this album – Huey Lewis and the News play what they know, and what they play is straight ahead rock, rhythm and blues. They've had their time in the sun and they know it – the album isn't some attempt to recapture the fame they enjoyed in the eighties - it's just what they find they have to do to make the music they want. They've gone to Plan B and it works. Check it out – kick the tires, put the top down, and take it out for a long drive along the coast – you'll fall in love all over again with a classic.
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Huey Lewis and the News - Plan B
Originally released in 2001 by Silvertone Records
All lyrics quoted here are the copyrighted property of Huey Lewis and the News Original Track Listing
We're Not Here For A Long Time (We're Here For A Good Time) / My Other Woman / I Ain't Perfect / When I Write The Book / I'm Not In Love With You (featuring Wynonna Judd) / Thank You #19 / Plan B / The Rhythm Ranch / Ler Her Go And Start Over / I Never Think About You / So Little Kindness
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