Good Trouble disappointed the bean counters and the snob critics who always hated this Champaign quintet anyway.
Sure it's no Hi Infidelity, but Good Trouble shoots out some golden shards.
Where Hi Infidelity perfectly balanced the muscle of REO's '70s stuff with wads of bankable bubblegum, here, lead single "Keep the Fire Burning" signals a decent into generic; but much of Good Trouble plays out a rocking and rollicking good time, fighting off mediocrity.
First off, bassist Bruce Hall comes to the fore twice (usually once) and delivers two knockouts: "Girl With the Heart of Gold" and "Let's Be-Bop." As always, Neal Doughty's keys spruce up the works; "I'll Follow You" features his sublime touch as well as sizzling Richrath axe-kicking behind a dusty, lusty Texas café tale.
Coup de grâce "The Key" unlocks a commercial paradox: a transcendent tapestry housed in a homogenized humdinger, as Kev Cronin bellows questions about what he knows and sees, yearning for the answer locked within himself.
But only he can set it free; only he has the key.
Brilliant.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keep the Fire Burnin'Kevin Cronin | REO Speedwagon | Play | 03:55 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 2 | Sweet TimeKevin Cronin | REO Speedwagon | Play | 03:06 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 3 | Girl With the Heart of GoldBruce Hall | REO Speedwagon | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 4 | Every Now and Then | REO Speedwagon | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 5 | I'll Follow You | REO Speedwagon | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 6 | The KeyKevin Cronin | REO Speedwagon | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | Back in My Heart AgainGary Richrath | REO Speedwagon | Play | 03:18 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 8 | Let's Be-BopBruce Hall | REO Speedwagon | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 9 | Stillness of the NightGary Richrath | REO Speedwagon | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 10 | Good TroubleKevin Cronin | REO Speedwagon | Play | 04:08 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 37 mins | 86 MB | |||||
| 37 mins | 259 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruce Barris | Assistant Engineer |
| 2 | Kevin Beamish | Engineer, Producer |
| 3 | Kevin Cronin | Arranger, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Rhythm), Piano, Producer, Vocal Harmony, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Tom Cummings | Assistant Engineer |
| 5 | Neal Doughty | Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Synthesizer |
| 6 | Scott Forman | Chimes, Crotale, Shaker |
| 7 | Steve Forman | Chimes, Crotale, Percussion, Shaker |
| 8 | Alan Gratzer | Drums, Producer, Tambourine |
| 9 | Bruce Hall | Bass, Composer, Guitar (Bass), Vocals |
| 10 | Tom Kelly | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 11 | Kosh | Art Direction, Design |
| 12 | Ron Larson | Art Direction, Design |
| 13 | Richard Page | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 14 | Aaron Rapoport | Photography |
| 15 | REO Speedwagon | Arranger, Primary Artist |
| 16 | Gary Richrath | Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Producer, Vocals |
| 17 | Jeff Sanders | Mastering |
| 18 | N. Yolletta | Vocals |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |