Dance Into The Light (1996)


 


  1.Dance Into the Light
  2.That's What You Said
  3.Lorenzo
  4.Just Another Story
  5.Love Police
  6.Wear My Hat
  7.It's in Your Eyes
  8.Oughta Know By Now
  9.Take Me Down
 10.The Same Moon
 11.River So Wide
 12.No Matter Who
 13.The Times They Are A-Changin'

 

After the murky and largely uninspired Both Sides, Phil Collins wisely decided it was time to change direction. Dance Into the Light was an attempt to re-embrace the lighter, pop-friendly sound that had made him a household name throughout the 1980s. The good news: the album is a return to form in spirit. The bad news: it was released in 1996, when the musical landscape had changed so dramatically that even the most polished effort from a veteran act like Collins was more likely to draw polite shrugs than radio play.

Indeed, by the mid-‘90s, many artists from the previous two decades found themselves pushed to the periphery—relegated to legacy status no matter how fresh their material sounded. Collins was no exception. Despite a few solid singles and a renewed sense of energy, this album did little to shift public perception. Sales were modest, and critics were largely indifferent.

And yet, there’s a lot here to appreciate. Collins reunited with several longtime collaborators, which helps lend the album a sense of familiarity. The title track Dance Into the Light sets the tone—upbeat, tightly arranged, and clearly designed to bring a smile. Songs like Wear My Hat and River So Wide carry a breezy worldbeat influence that might have seemed revolutionary had they emerged ten years earlier. By 1996, though, the comparisons to Paul Simon’s Graceland were inevitable—and not always favorable.

The standouts, however, do rise above. Just Another Story has a stripped-back jazz undertone that pairs well with Collins’ signature brand of socially conscious songwriting. Lorenzo, inspired by the film Lorenzo’s Oil, is a touching tribute that avoids the mawkishness such material could easily invite. And Collins’ cover of The Times They Are A-Changin’ is respectful without being redundant—a rare feat when tackling Dylan.

The remainder of the album is perfectly pleasant, even if it doesn’t quite break new ground. But that doesn’t make it unworthy. Collins, at this point, wasn’t trying to reinvent the wheel—just keep it rolling. And while Dance Into the Light may not have lit up the charts, it’s hardly a misstep. If anything, it deserved more attention than it received. A solid, if somewhat overlooked, entry in Collins’ catalog—particularly for those willing to look past its release date.


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