Favorites 1990-2005

Album review

Ever since the Beatles first gave folks the idea that a rock star is supposed to be able to sing, play, and write songs with equal skill, fans have expected musicians to be all-purpose point men (or women), but the sad truth is that not every talented person in rock & roll was cut out to be a bandleader. Nils Lofgren is a good example of this notion in action; Lofgren is a demon guitar player and he can knock out a good song every once in a while, but his singing is OK though not great and a long, hard look at his body of work confirms that he's always shone brighter backing up the likes of Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen than he has by his lonesome. Favorites 1990-2005 is primarily drawn from Lofgren's two studio albums for Rykodisc, 1991's Silver Lining and 1992's Crooked Line, with some live tracks and unreleased demos filling out the set, and while there's a lot of great guitar playing on this disc, the songs range from good to one step up from throwaway, and Lofgren isn't an especially commanding singer on the evidence of these tracks. Only a fool would argue against Nils Lofgren's talent, but Favorites 1990-2005 makes it clear that his greatest gift is as a guitarist; have him sit in with a solid band and you've got something special, but all by himself he's a quarterback without a receiver to pass to, and that isn't likely to win a game for anyone.

© Mark Deming /TiVo