Rick Derringer - Face To Face (Expanded Edition) (1980/2019)

Rick Derringer's 1980 release Face to Face is a disappointing return to mediocrity after the fresh and fun Guitars and Women album from the previous year. The majority of the tracks are heavy, piano-led ballads that Derringer can't pull off due to his Twiggy-thin vocals. The only songs that give any indication of Derringer's strengths are the rocking "I Want a Lover" and the sticky-sweet bubblegum pop tune "Let the Music Play," though his guitar pyrotechnics on the cover of Neil Young's "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" and the overly long "Jump, Jump, Jump" give you an idea of why he was a much sought-after sideman. Mostly the record sounds like it was cut by a guy who is out of gas and out of ideas. The record has only a shred of the energy and passion that made 1979's Todd Rundgren-produced Guitars and Woman a surprising return to the promise of Derringer's early solo albums. No wonder it was 13 years before his next release as a frontman.