Written by Kenny Loggins, David Foster & Michael McDonald

Yacht On The Rocks is the new release by the American acappella combo, Straight No Chaser. In the past fifteen years, this renowned vocal group has built a solid reputation. They have a string of albums of tasteful acappella covers of various pop, rock and soul evergreens. They have also released four successful Christmas cds with a couple of those eventually certified gold in the US with sales over 500,000 copies. Through the years, Straight No Chaser has generated great appeal with very entertaining live performances.

Yacht On The Rocks, as the title suggests, finds the nine-piece vocal ensemble reinterpreting some of the most-loved staples of refined quality pop of the late Seventies and early Eighties. In the past few years, all the classics included on this record, like the wonderful Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love” or The Doobie Brothers’ “What A Fool Believes,” have been catalogued under a genre called Yacht Rock. Personally, this rating degrades those evergreens by making the definition a bit cheesy and doesn’t do justice to such great musicians, singers, composers and their stellar bodies of work. Recently, Yacht Rock has seen a true renaissance with TV shows, tribute bands and new groups influenced by that glorious music genre. Obviously, Straight No Chaser jumped on the bandwagon. Their new album was produced by Nicholas Niespodziani, the leader of Yacht Rock Revue, one of those aforementioned tribute bands. Among the gems on Yacht On The Rocks are also new renditions of two classics co-written by David Foster, Earth, Wind & Fire’s phenomenal “After The Love Has Gone” plus Kenny Loggins’ magnificent “Heart To Heart.”

The Song of the Week this time is “Heart To Heart.”

On “Heart To Heart,” Straight No Chaser deliver some impeccable vocal harmonies with precision beatbox and a cool groove. As nice as this rendition is, the formula gets a bit tiring after a few listens. These kind of vocal interpretations and arrangements are good, but inevitably lack the superior instrumental performances that backed-up Loggins on the original with a smoking rhythm section with Nathan East on bass, Foster and Mike McDonald’s keyboard interplay and David Sanborn’s fantastic sax solo.

Coincidentally, another cover of “Heart To Heart” was released in the past few weeks by a new artist called Rude Jude. This cover is more faithful to Loggins’ original with interesting musicianship and just some doubts about the vocals that can’t compare to Loggins’ trademark tenor. “Heart To Heart” also gives  the title to Rude Jude’s five track EP. It includes clever music that should appeal to soft rock lovers with echoes of illustrious names like Pages and Steely Dan.

To close this review, Foster wrote some thoughts about this great classic:

“It was a thrill for me everytime I wrote with Kenny [Loggins] and then when he brought Mike [McDonald] into the session, it was really amazing!! I think these are two of the greatest singers/composers the world has ever produced. It was an honor to work with both of them and I love the song we created. ‘Heart To Heart’ shows the true musical depth of all three of us during those unforgettable years.”

• Straight No Chaser: Walter Chase, Jerome Collins, Seggie Isho, Michael Luginbill, Steve Morgan, Jasper Smith, Randy Stine, Tyler Trepp, Freedom Young
• Soloist : Mike Luginbill & Jerome Collins

• Arranged by Mike Luginbill & Straight No Chaser
• Produced by Nicholas J. Niespodziani

Lyrics

You ain’t crazy
I ain’t gonna lie anymore
What you’re feelin’
There’s a reason for
I wanna do right
Oh, I gotta do right
Do I love you
Oh, you know I’ve tried
But what you’re after
You can’t find in my eyes
I wanna do right
Hmm, hmm, hmm, horns

Darlin’
Tell the truth
Don’t turn away
This is our last chance
To touch each others heart
Does anything last forever
I don’t know
Maybe we’re near the end
(So come and tell me)
So darlin’
Oh, how can we go on together
Now that we’ve grown apart
Well the only way to start
Is heart to heart

One by one
We’re collecting lies
When you can’t give love
You give alibis
Now I’m gonna do right
This time I gotta do right
I don’t wanna leave
I don’t wanna say good-bye
Sooner or later
Honey, there comes a time
Tomorrow, when you gotta do right
Come on home

Darlin’
Tell the truth
Don’t turn away
From this one last chance
To touch each others heart
Does anything last forever
I don’t know
Maybe we’re near the end
(So come and tell me)
So Darlin’
Oh, how can we go on together
Now that we’ve grown apart
Well the only way to start
Is heart to heart
(Why are you so torn apart)
I need a little more lovin’ in my heart
(People say that love will grow)
So how was I to know
Love that’s come through years and years
Can’t find a way back home
Anymore

[Instrumental Interlude]

Darlin’
Tell the truth
Don’t turn away
This is our last chance
To touch each others heart
Does anything last forever
I don’t know
But maybe we’re near the end
So darlin’ tell me
Oh, how can we go on together
Now that we’ve grown apart
Well the only way to start
Is heart to heart
Does anything last forever
I don’t know
But maybe we’re near the end
So darlin’ tell me
Oh, how can we go on together
Now that we’ve grown apart
Well the only way to start
Is heart to heart