Search - Lowen & Navarro :: Walking on a Wire

Cloyingly Sincere

Erik J. Fortmeyer | Brooklyn, NY USA | 07/27/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Add two more stars to my rating if you are A) a true blue Lowen & Navarro fan or B) longing for 41 minutes of non-stop good intentions.I bought a used copy on a lark of Lowen & Navarro's 1993 album "Broken Moon" a while ago and was quite surprised at how much I liked it. Great guitars, pleasant vocals, neat & varied backing instruments, and intelligent lyrics abounded. Later, I found a copy of 1990's "Walking On A Wire" and figured I'd give it a try. The first song "Somewhere Far Away" sounded well enough. The third, "Oh Mary" began to put me to wondering as they sung about the joys of winning over a sylph named, amazingly enough, Mary. Girls who just finished watching "Titanic" for the 36th time would likely love this whereas I was wondering if an uxorious milksop may actually be what's in the making. The fifth song "Seven Bridges" is a nice enough song about a boy (really all of us collectively) venturing out into the world seeking the greener grass somewhere else only to eventually realize that "Happiness Is Lubbock Texas In My Rearview Mirror". Then tragedy struck at the eighth song. Pat Benatar has almost always irritated me. She is forever either whining, preening, or strutting about giving everyone good reason to loathe Long Island. Little did I know that Lowen & Navarro are the one's who originally wrote "We Belong" that good ol' Pat crooned (croned?) a few years ago. I hated that song, mostly because of Patricia's unctuous bathos. Now how can I be objective about the original version?! Well, if I have to, I will admit that I usually skip over it or simply avoid the terror of random chance on shuffle play. The French also tend to infuriate me so, the ninth song "C'Est La Vie" was at an unfair disadvantage initially. The first listen to "Walking On A Wire" was ironically nearly salvaged however, by the last track "Hammerhead Shark". This simple but amusing song seems to have almost been added in at the last minute when they realized the album would be below 40 minutes without it. Seems they may have been either a little "lubricated" when they recorded it or, drank way too much Kool-Aid. You may be fairly inclined now (particularly if you like this album) to howl that that was only one listen! I must play it again to get more objectivity. You are correct, and I did. I found it does get better with a few listens but, my socks stayed firmly on my feet through all of those listens. The remaining songs are actually all very acceptable. The title cut and "She Said No" are rather good and have probably seen a good amount of airplay on certain radio stations.The bottom line: Now that I've used some of my best 50 cent words seemingly ripping apart this album, what do you think I will recommend? You might be surprised. "Walking On A Wire" I believe best reflects the old gender divide of "Men are from Mars and women are from Venus". Most average guys are not going to dig this well done album; it's as simple as that. There are some exceptions, and I commend those exceptions but, you will not see a gold record from this album on Lowen & Navarro's company wall. Women will be much more sympathetic overall to this album. The previously mentioned "Broken Moon" album of 1993 I believe is a better album overall than "Walking On A Wire" showing to excellent effect how much L&N have improved in those three years. Definitely give both a good, long listen before you buy."

A Best Kept Secret

Michael Lawson | Marion, OH | 12/27/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You don't know what you're missing if you pass up the opportunity to listen to L&N. I have been a listener and fan since 1990, and L&N continue to get better with age. Nevermind that these guys have written blockbuster songs for artists such as Pat Benatar, or that one has a famous, hard rocking ex-Red Hot Chili Pepper/Jane's Addiction, guitarist, brother. L&N can live and celebrate their own laurels. They could take a lot of the younger artists of today to songwriting school. Lovely lyrics. Excellent music. Catchy harmonies and melodies. Songsmithing has never been done so well."

Hit men doing it for themselves

John Lilley | Duffy, ACT Australia | 07/07/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Songwriting duo Eric Lowen and Dan Navarro have probably annoyed some of their more illustrious peers with this album.The pair, who wrote Pat Benatar's "We Belong" and the Bangles' "I'll Set You Free" among others, said enough is enough and released their own record.Normally the names behind the hits, this duo have come out and proven to be somewhat of a surprise. Most of the tracks here were sought by other performers with the title track for example, requested to be used as an Eddie Money single.It is easy to see some big names turning such tracks as "What I Make Myself Believe" and "Someone Like You" into hits but this pair has done just fine without their help.They seem right at home fusing pop and folk with good, but not overdone, harmonies, refreshing acoustic guitars and even a cello.These professional hit men have produced well-rounded songs with both instant appeal and lasting value. Why didn't they do it sooner?"