Our Kind Of Soul (CD)

Daryl Hall and John Oates have been singing together for more than 30 years, so it's no wonder that on Our Kind of Soul, they're in perfect harmony as they cover their favorite classic soul songs as well as some new originals.

The pair do right by "Standing in the Shadows of Love," the Holland/Dozier/Holland masterpiece, first made famous by the Four Tops. And the hits just keep on coming. The Spinners' "I'll Be Around" has a touch of techno and a splash of conga in its new arrangement. Songwriters Gamble and Huff get the Hall & Oates treatment on "Used to Be My Girl," a funkier arrangement than The O'Jays' original.

"Soul Violins" is a new Darryl Hall song that fits right in with the mood and love-theme of the album; the sound of "soul violins" is soul music code for a deep and precious love. "Don't Turn Your Back on Me" is also special to the project and was inspired by the sound of The Temptations, according to Hall's comprehensive liner notes.

"Neither One of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)," as popularized by Gladys Knight and the Pips, was intense in its original form but Hall & Oates take a breezier approach, perhaps inspired by their Bahaman recording location. "Rock Steady," the hard soul hit by Aretha Franklin, seems like it would be impossible to cover and yet... Hall & Oates take a hip-hop approach and it works out just fine!

"Love TKO," the Womack and Womack song that was a hit for Teddy Pendergrass, is one of Hall's most heartfelt performances on the disc. Oates takes a spin on The Dramatics' classic "What You See is What You Get" in a perfect falsetto.

Closing out the 17-song collection, Oates also gives voice to "Ooh Child," the uplifting old song by the Five Stairsteps. Hall and Oates met at a Five Stairsteps concert when both were on the same bill, but still in different bands. And so, it's fitting that they should use the song to close their tribute to the soul music that brought them together in the first place.

The years have got nothing on Hall & Oates: soul men and hitmakers for 30 years, they're the real thing, and there "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing." Hey, they forgot that one... but then, there's always the possibility of a volume two!

By Danielle Santiago