Don Henley Releases Two New Songs, Review And Stream Them Here

I don’t HATE hate Don Henley, I mean, he isn’t Glenn Frey, is he? So, though the only time I saw him live, Radio City in the 1990s, he was atrocious, and though the only Eagles album I like (and I love it) is the Blue Greatest Hits, he still wrote two masterpieces, “The End Of The Innocence” and “Boys Of Summer”  which included the last word on the 60s (you know: the sticker on the Cadillac one).

So here comes the first two songs off  Cass County, Don’s first album since 2000’s nothing special Inside Job (name one song) and one song is nothing good and the other song is nothing bad but neither make you hold your breath and applaud, neither of them are much more than overwritten and overproduced (and over arranged -especially the harmonies) Americana meets country.

“That Old Flame” is alright, helped a great deal by Martina McBride, their voices meld pleasantly but the melody is unsustainable at best and the the song plods in tasteful refinement and hoarse beauty vocals (his not hers). It isn’t worth the bother.

However, “That Old Flame”  is a masterpiece compared with the schoolyard taunt “Take A Picture Of This” -that’s a joke of course, something Henley wouldn’t recognize if you stuck him in a room with Louis CK, Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, a pound of weed and a bottle of vodka and an HBO Comedy Special. It is such a disappointing, dreary song that three times in and I want to do something else with my life. It singlehandedly justifies Patrick Stickles entire existent. Don is upset as a long term marriage (including kids!) goes kaput and personally, I don’t blame her. No idea why she waited that long.

What a smug, humorless little dick he is, cmon five years and this old solo retreads is all you’ve got?

That Old Flame – B-

Take A Picture Of This – C-