Songwriter (remastered, incl. 4 bonus tracks) (1977)

"This one was the best of the solo albums to come out from the members of the Moody Blues during their 1974-78 hiatus, and it has held up better than any of the others, a fact reflected in this 2004 reissue with significantly upgraded sound with three superb bonus tracks in May of 2004. First and foremost is "Wrong Time, Right Place," a driving electric rocker with a great beat and a wryly ironic lyric, which was recorded for Songwriter but lost before the album was assembled; the follow-up single "Marie," an electric ballad with a rich, dramatic vocal performance by Hayward, surrounded by several layers of electric and acoustic guitars; and "Heart of Steel," an ornate slowie with some intelligent and restrained synthesizer work. The new annotation answers many questions concerning the album and its origins, and the producers have also included the bonus track from the old CD edition, Hayward's surprisingly effective rendition of Buddy Holly's "Learning the Game"." (Bruce Eder, Allmusic; 4,5 uit 5 sterren)