Rock 'n' Heart

Album review

English is widely regarded as the official language of rock, which is why so many Scandinavian and German rockers have opted to perform exclusively in English. The Scorpions, Accept, and Doro Pesch grew up speaking German as their primary language, but most or all of their work has been in English. However, there is a market for non-English-language rock. The rock en español phenomenon has been huge in Spain and Latin America, and there are plenty of European rockers who prefer to record in German, Italian, or Dutch -- and unlike the Scorpions, Accept, or Pesch -- don't worry about whether or not they are accepted in the English-language market. David Hallyday, meanwhile, is a bilingual pop-rocker who has recorded in both French and English. The singer is well-known in the French market, although his English-language releases haven't done as well. Released by Scotti Brothers in 1990, Rock 'n' Heart was among Hallyday's attempts to go after English-speaking audiences; none of the songs are in French. Rock 'n' Heart, however, didn't make him a big name in the United States. Produced by Richie Wise, Rock 'n' Heart is a slick, glossy, very middle-of-the-road pop/rock effort along the lines of Phil Collins (although the writing generally isn't as strong). Most of the material -- which exemplifies what rock critics disparagingly called "corporate rock" in the late '80s and early '90s -- is adequate but not very memorable. Nonetheless, Rock 'n' Heart has its moments; some of the more noteworthy tracks include the mildly funky "Hey Louise" and the anthemic power ballad "Tears of the Earth" (which contains an environmentalist message). Rock 'n' Heart is far from a total meltdown, but it's an uneven effort that didn't give Hallyday the U.S. breakthrough he was hoping for.

© Alex Henderson /TiVo