Vagabond Heart

With the ‘80s finally over, it was as if a stylistic fog suddenly lifted. While Rod Stewart wasn’t about to return to the raw bleeding guitars and organs of his earliest work in the ‘70s, he did begin to pay more attention to the songs he was writing and interpreting. The sound is similarly charged, still instilled with certain smooth touches but not without its necessary grit. “Rebel Heart” features true aggression with its electric guitars. “Rhythm of My Heart” rolls with an extra skip in its step. Robbie Robertson’s “Broken Arrow” takes on a harrowing, lonesome vibe. Van Morrison’s “Have I Told You Lately” lights the necessary romantic candles. ”The Motown Song” pushes all the right nostalgic buttons to become a hit single. Stewart’s duet with Tina Turner for “It Takes Two” experiences a sweet synergy as their blessed voices intertwine. “No Holding Back” and album closer “If Only” are worthy ballads that highlight Stewart’s still natural wonder of a voice after all the years.