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IN THE WAY

from DREAMWALKIN’
Written by Eric Tagg

“Eric, I remember him being an amazing singer! He had great taste in music. My favorite track that we did together was ‘Mr. Briefcase,’ a very tricky and complicated song.”

David Foster recently sent this message about Eric Tagg, a fabulous singer/songwriter from Texas. Tagg reached some level of success in the eighties through his work with guitar maestro, Lee Ritenour. Both Foster and Rit met Tagg when they played on his 1975 debut album, Smilin’ Memories. Eventually, Ritenour released his 1981 Rit album, co-produced by Foster and Harvey Mason, that showcased Tagg’s superior talent as a singer and a songwriter. Rit spawned the Top 15 hit, “Is It You?,” plus the aforementioned slick rocker, “Mr. Briefcase.” Both songs were written or co-written by Tagg who also handled the killer lead vocals. The mood of Rit was quality L.A. pop at its finest with touches of R&B and fusion. One year later, the same super-group of musicians crafted Dreamwalkin’, the singer’s third solo for the Japanese market and, musically speaking, Rit’s younger sibling. Just imagine a voice that had strong echoes of Stevie Wonder writing killer smooth pop/soul material with a back-up of the best musicians on the planet. Dreamwalkin’ remained a well-kept secret for many years, but eventually its impressive level of sophistication won the hearts of quality pop lovers all over the world.

You can read a review and listen to the song “No One There” in the archives plus see all of Tagg’s main collaborations with Ritenour. Another highlight on Dreamwalkin’ was “In The Way,” a breezy pop mid-tempo with some irresistible South American flavor and the current Song of the Week. “In The Way” showcases Tagg’s “smooth like butta” vocals with Bill Champlin’s gorgeous backing harmonies. Foster added color with his Fender Rhodes, Ritenour’s gorgeous guitar licks and Jerry Hey’s horn punctuation. The result defies the senses.

A rediscovery of Dreamwalkin’ should be in order. Also check out Tagg’s other solo records. They are chocked full of wonderful surprises for quality pop music lovers.


Listen

 

 

  • Lead Vocals: Eric Tagg
  • Keyboards: David Foster & Don Grusin
  • Synthesizer: Ian Underwood
  • Guitar: Lee Ritenour
  • Drums: John Robinson
  • Bass: Abraham Laboriel & Nathan East
  • Percussion: Alex Acuna
  • Horn Section: Jerry Hey, Gary Herbig & Chuck Findley
  • Backing Vocals: Bill Champlin & Eric Tagg
  • Produced by Lee Ritenour

Lyrics

Heart so tender
Heart so weak
Heart so broken by the words

Heart so stolen by… missing smile
Love can never be assure
See the way that we looks at you
And you don’t reallu seem to mind

Even thoe. try your best
I’m not stupid, I’m not blind

I’m only…

In the Way… I Feel like i’m done…
In the way… Guess you know i’d like…
To stay inside your hear

Tenders Company
Three’s a crowd
Too many cooks in for the soup
Heatsy wins your love
Tales i loose
Two’s a couple, three’s a group

In the Way… Feel like i’m done…
In the way… seems like i’m always…
In the Way… Watching for my self…
In the way… Guess you…