After selling out countless reunion tours playing epic hits such as “Tequila Sunrise” and “Hotel California,” the Eagles are heading back to the recording studio for the first time in 28 years with the 20-song album, Long Road Out of Eden. At twice their age, they bring with them the same jaunty country-rock melodies that raised them to their iconic status, while incorporating modern views observed along their hiatus. Although still slick in style and sound, the Eagles straddle a dangerously thin line between heartwarming and hokey.
The CD opens in a cappella style with “No More Walks in the Woods.” The Eagles display here their unchanging ability to harmonize as their voices gently blend together to describe the path of destruction among the once-beautiful scenery of the woods. The song takes an awkward, geriatric side path to “the clover fields where we once made love,” but despite that eyebrow-raising lyric, “No More Walks” is successful in illustrating its short, bittersweet message.
Following songs, including “How Long,” “Too Busy Being Glamorous” and “Guilty of the Crime,” house the signature country-plucked mid-tempo guitar and smooth sing-a-long choruses. Fans can rejoice that the Eagles recapture the same elements found in such beloved hits as “Already Gone” and “Take it Easy.” This three-song knockout shows a veritable musical resurrection.
The Eagles are all too aware of their missteps, giving a musical nod to their 1980 breakup and triple bypass 14 years later in “What Do I Do With My Heart” through the background of a repetitive keyboard synthesizer abundant with chimes and snaps. But other songs show the Eagles simply stuck in the past, not having learned from it. “I Don’t Want to Hear Anymore” follows a similar destructive path with the addition of Paul Carrack as the lead vocalist, whose falsetto whimper guides the song into even more of an oversensitive tailspin.
The peak of the irritable ballads is apparent in the abominable cheese bomb of “No More Cloudy Days.” Against the subdued quick tempo drum and soft piano, Glenn Frey sings romance cliches that were purposely left behind in the ’80s. “I believe in second chances/ I believe in angels too/ I believe in new love/ Baby, I believe in you” is just a taste of the sugar-coated cornball that taints this otherwise promising album.
The band is not entirely stuck in the ’80s, however, and Long Road Out of Eden at least ostensibly rejects the era’s glittery materialism on the tracks “Frail Grasp On the Big Picture” and “Business as Usual.” Unfortunately, actions speak louder than words, as the Eagles are selling their album exclusively through the heart of corporate America — Wal-Mart.
The 10-minute epic, “Long Road Out of Eden,” picks up the slack of the ballads through the deep heartfelt voice of Don Henley. The songs pairs modern politics with the enchantingly gritty guitar solos found in “Hotel California.” It demands attention as the raising octaves of the guitar blend with the incriminating lyrics, “He said, ‘It’s hard to stop this binging once you get a taste/ But the road to empire is a bloody, stupid waste.'” “Long Road Out of Eden” is a remarkable addition to Eagles classics, and Henley’s vocal leadership is one of the album’s strongest suits.
Although ridden with some questionable song choices, Long Road Out of Eden compensates by providing fans with Eagles essentials that sit comfortably between “Desperado” and “Victim of Love.” After 28 years, it’s about time the greatest hits rotation ends as a new chapter begins because, “Desperado, oh you ain’t getting no younger.”
3 stars out of 5
