Mumbo Jumbo

One of the best things about this album is the great variety of songs. You get classic ballads like Hold On (totally sounds like a hit single to me !) and Until. Then you have perfectly crafted upbeat pop songs like the first single Dance with Me as well as A Little Bit of Everything and Faith in Love. Then you have a couple of rockin' songs like Me Like You and the title track. All this plus a mixture of a little jazz and R&B vibe. The thing is, none of it feels forced---as if they are purposefully trying to go in different styles---it all flows very naturally and just proves how versatile Air Supply can be. Diehard Airheads have always known that this band is more than just a ballad band---we see it in concert all the time. But this is the first album to really demonstrate this so thoroughly. I think Air Supply fans will love this album but at the same time---people who normally don't cut Air Supply any slack should easily find something to like on here too. Great job and well worth the wait. I am glad they are with Odds on Records as hopefully having a label behind them that really cares about marketing will help this release along. Already Dance with Me is about to crack the top 20 on the AC radioplay charts. Well deserved. Everyone should give this album a listen. And I must also comment that Russell Hitchcock's incredible voice is in such fine form here. His voice is more powerful here than it has been on the last couple of studio albums. The man is going to be 61 soon and he sounds amazing !

Quite often artists are quoted as saying that their lastest release is their best work ever and Air Supply is no exception. The difference is that this time it may very well be correct! Mumbo Jumbo is a concept album that is a little complicated, but it works. The music definitely supports the entire conceptual story; however, most of the songs can stand alone without an explanation.

The thing that makes this Air Supply release so good is the upbeat nature of the majority of the songs. Of course, there are some great classic Air Supply ballads on this CD; "Hold On", "Why" and "Until". There are several great upbeat songs that are simply fun to listen to repeatedly; "Dance with Me", "A Little Bit of Everything", "Alternate Ending", "Mumbo Jumbo", and "Faith in Love". There is one rocker on this CD which is "Me Like You" and it is awesome!

Hail to Air Supply and Odds On Records for this release. It would be great if Odds On released "Me Like You" as a single. It would be a bold statement that Air Supply can rock as hard as the next band and isn't just an old softy. Of course, any Airhead could already tell you that.

Caution to anyone who buys this CD, it is very addicting!!

I love this cd. Highesty kudos to this highly talented group on this welcomed release of all brand new material. Air Supply was huge in the 80s and had a certain formula of heavily orchestrated sweet pop ballads. Many critics considered these attempts pure bubble gum but no one could resist the charm and pure romanticism in their music. They have tried a few other cds of new material over the years to not much success. But here they give us a cd of songs that show a whole other side to Air Supply. Of course these are love songs and filled with emotion but this set MUMBO JUMBO rivals their best work and reaches a level much more inventive and original than anything they have ever done before.

From the opening note of the electronic, slightly mystical SETTING THE SEEN the listener knows this is a different Air Supply. The song proves to be lovely and heartfelt - a perfect intro to this magical set. Next is my favorite DANCE WITH ME which has words and lyrics that could have been with a song by Air Supply recorded in their prime but it with this song that we see how different things really are. The over orchestrated styly is gone. Instead the music is with a pop rock band on all songs and extremes are gone. Instead we get pure quality music. In the past Russell Hitchcock ruled most of the vocals while here they are shared 50/50 with partner Graham Russell with both taking solos and most often singing together with perfect harmonies.

There are no misses here. The ballads HOLD ON, A LITTLE BIT MORE, WHY and CAN I BE YOUR LOVER all have their own identity and are beautiful expressions of sincere passion and feeling. ALTERNATE ENDING and ME LIKE YOU are adventurous pop rock songs different from anything they have done before. More adult feelings and emotions are expressed in these pop songs and with LOVESEX which sounds very gimmicky they provide a modern, original superb song that has hit written all over it. The cd ends with UNTIL the most expressive ballad here and we see again how the over orchestration is gone. Picture the Air Supply you know and love improved and modern stretching their creative limits. They don't rest on their musical laurels at all here. It will all ring true to die hard Air Supply fans while being so new and current as to earn them many new fans. My only regret is the title of the cd MUMBO JUMBO. The song is perfect and the reasoning behind the title is clearly shown in the liner notes but for a group coming from the past with new music it just doesn't seem like a good title to grab new listeners. The title might seem silly but ignore that. This is quality music showing that talent never dies and that when artists do possess true talent they can always change, learn, expand and become more inventive. I highly recommend this cd. MUMBO JUMBO is a huge success.