Harbinger

Dan Seals had two miraculous musical careers. The first of which, being apart of a successful POP duo (England Dan & John Ford Coley). Dan's second arrival would come in the form as a successful solo COUNTRY artist. With a lot of hard work redeveloping his perception as a country singer (remaining ever so faithful to his style as a gentle singer-songwriter), Seals successfully managed to cross the genre lines, allowing his England Dan Following to actually "follow him" right into country music's inner circle. (Seals' was truly a country act all along; yet, he somehow found himself trapped within the pop market - odd for the period). With all of that being said, HARBINGER was Seals' last attempt at trying to revive a faltering pop career, which he himself could not find good reason to continue. HARBINGER was solely released as a POP record. And for its time period, the album was a really good POP record! "It's Not Gonna Be That Easy" depicts a mid-tempo, man-regrets-losing-woman, typical heartache. "It Will Be Alright" mirrors Laura Branigan's "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You" yet with more of a positive persuasion feel, an up-beat ability, and true compassion. Keeping within these lines, "Up To Me" is pleading with our 1982 "fantasy female lead" to make a decision about coming back home. "Up To Me" could have easily played-out during the closing credits of the film "Tootsie". "Not Every Heart Succeeds" sounds like a tune from the hit pop group America (Which by no means is a bad thing!) The semi-haunting "Bad News" seems like the post-answer song to Carrie Underwoods' "Before He Cheats". Personally, Tim McGraw should start here, and divulge himself into recording "Bad News", along with a great portion of Seals' Catalog- just say'in. Seals seemed to have had all of the right songs in place, but somehow got beaten to radio by the likes of Dan Folgelberg, Christopher Cross, & Robbie Dupree. I would recommend HARBINGER to either a hardcore England Dan & John Ford Coley fan, or a pop-oriented Dan Seals fan, which is where this record falls. HARBINGER is not intended for those looking for Dan Seals' country material. This IS pretty much England Dan music MINUS John Ford Coley. Seals actually recorded two solo albums (HARBINGER, and 1980's STONES) both following his England Dan gig; yet, prior to his country re-establishment. Both of these albums primarily resurged after Dan's country success. Truly, Dan deserved more attention from both of these solo recordings, including a few top-10 pop singles.

HARBINGER was Dan Seals final effort as a solo pop artist following the demise of England Dan and John Ford Coley. A fine effort, but not in sync with his later country albums . . . which showed his natural affinity for the country style.

From the get go, you couldn't call this country. It actually sounds like 1980's Hall & Oates power pop. But England Dan works it! "Can't Get You Out of My Mind" is actually one of my favorite Seals songs (The others being "Big Wheels in the Moonlight" and "They Rage On"). There are several country moments in this album that characterize his later work. Don't let this be the first Dan Seals album you buy. Work Your way up to this.