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Christopher Cross
Doctor Faith
(Eagle Rock)

It took more than a decade, but soft rock sensation Christopher Cross finally found a way to make his voice heard—by developing an edge. That’s right, Doctor Faith has hearty doses of bark and bite. There’s still a generous heaping of lushness here but Cross’s tenor no longer sounds like a dial tone. Instead it conveys colors that stretch across the entire palette.

If your mind gravitates towards “Sailing,” “Ride Like The Wind” or “Think of Laura,” you’re in for a pleasant surprise. The only tune here that sounds remotely similar to Cross’s earlier work is “Leave It To Me,” which echoes 1979’s “I Really Don’t Know Anymore.” Blue-eyed soul man Michael McDonald makes an appearance on the album’s title track but it’s purely background; Cross takes the reins all the way.

“I’m Too Old For This” is chock full of enjoyable, Randy Newman-esque cynicism. Other highlights include “When You Come Home,” which picks up where Cross’s more poignant numbers like “Swept Away” leave off, the breezy “Rescue” and “November,” a tune carrying the same emotional weight as R.E.M.’s “Nightswimming.”

Older, wiser, freer, Cross hits all the right notes. A true musical cure for what ails you.

—Ira Kantor