The Ballads (1999)



  1. Just For You
  2. Time For Me To Fly
  3. Keep On Loving You
  4. Can't Fight This Feeling
  5. Take it on the Run
  6. 'Til the River Runs Dry
  7. In My Dreams
  8. Here With Me
  9. Building the Bridge
  10.One Lonely Night
  11.The Heart Survives
  12.After Tonight
  13.I Wish You Were There


 

This one’s a bit of an oddity, though hardly unexpected. You could argue that of all the classic rock bands from the era, REO Speedwagon were the ones most closely associated with the power ballad. Not necessarily by design—but by market force. So it was only a matter of time before someone at the label decided to cash in on that particular legacy with a compilation like this. The result is The Ballads, a collection that’s largely pleasant but hardly essential.

About half the songs here are lifted directly from The Hits—the far superior 1998 compilation—and the rest feel more like album cuts and filler than long-lost gems. And while it’s understandable that they’d want to keep mining that vein, this feels more like scraping the barrel than digging up treasure. There’s no shortage of syrup here, but not a lot of substance.

There are two new tracks, but both fall squarely into the “trying too hard” category. You can almost hear the songwriting sessions: “Let’s make something that sounds like a ballad.” Not: “Let’s make a good song and see where it goes.” Predictably, neither tune leaves a lasting impression.

Track selection is a bit suspect too. Some notable omissions from Kevin Cronin’s more sentimental moments, while at the same time they’ve included Take It On The Run—a great track, sure, but a ballad? Only if your definition is loose enough to include anything that drops below mid-tempo. Its inclusion seems more like a sales tactic than a stylistic decision.

The whole thing plays fine if you just want background music with a nostalgic tug. But in terms of being a definitive REO Speedwagon ballads package, this one doesn’t quite hit the emotional peaks it’s aiming for. There are better ways to revisit this side of the band’s catalogue. Obviosly a label release than a band release.





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