Amazon.co.uk Review
Unquestionably one of rock’s greatest vocalists, Rod Stewart should have titled this album
Great Rock Classics of My Time. Most of these Top 40 tunes and others like Dylan's "If Not for You" were popularized in the early to mid-'70s, when Stewart was entering his rock prime. He's perfect to croon Elvin Bishop's "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," soulfully pained on Bonnie Tyler's "It's a Heartache," and right in the pocket on the Pretenders' "I'll Stand by You." And his unmistakable raspiness puts another layer of wisdom on the old Cat Steven's classic "Father & Son." But you also have to wonder about some of the safe song choices, such Badfinger's "Day After Day" and Nazareth's "Love Hurts." Why he continues to record mossy cover songs is a legitimate question. What's stopping him from getting back in trenches with some contemporary rock songwriters and really reinventing himself? The karaoke lounge is no place for a guy this great to hang.
--Martin Keller
CD Description
There's one great, straightfaced joke on Rod Stewart's return to classic rock following his trio of standards: ever since it was a hit in 1978, casual AM radio listeners have mistaken Bonnie Tyler's "It's A Heartache" for a Rod Stewart single, given how much the scratchy-voiced Welsh singer soundedlike 1970s-vintage Rod the Mod. On STILL THE SAME: GREAT ROCK CLASSICS OF OUR TIME, Stewart does a dead-on impersonation of Tyler's impersonation of himself; it's a great giggle and a good version of a good song. The rest of the set is perhaps less inspired, but equally fine: in arrangements that recall the no-frills, pubby rock-and-roll of his best solo albums, Stewart performs tunes familiar to any fans of '70s and '80s pop, from Badfinger's "Day After Day" to the Pretenders' power ballad "I'll Stand By You". His comfortable take on Bob Seger's title track is particularly well-suited.
