Sexton Blake: Plays The Hits!

Taking the edge off some classic hits could be a double-edged sword, but Sexton Blake plays many of these songs with a passion that makes one think he’s sincere. Whether it’s the Springsteen opener “Hungry Heart” that feels more like mellow California pop or the mainstream pop approach to Kim Carnes’ signature “Bette Davis Eyes”, Blake definitely sounds as if he’s right at home. And how he warps and bends some of these tracks are surprisingly strong, especially the sappy “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” and the dour Supertramp gem “The Logical Song”. Yet he inserts a totally different breath of fresh air into Erasure’s “Oh L’Amour”. Hell, even Milli Vanilli’s “Girl You Know it’s True” comes up smelling like roses. But perhaps the highlight here is The Dream Academy’s “Life in a Northern Town” which sounds as sweet as the original.