You Bet It's Essential

The Essential Kenny Loggins by Kenny Loggins

Kenny became my favorite artist about six years ago when I bought a Kenny Loggins CD for my husband. Funny, hubby never gets to hear that CD - I keep it in my car with several other Kenny Loggins CDs that I listen to practically daily. Kenny's music and lyrics reach out to me, and regardless of my mood, there is always one, or more, Kenny Loggins song that perfectly expresses my own thoughts or emotions. After listening to his song lyrics and reading The Unimaginable Life, a book he co-wrote with his wife Julia, I feel that, in some sense, I actually know Kenny. His music and lyrics are written with honesty and openness so as to share his ideas and life experiences in a very intimate way. He writes of happiness and despair, of love and loss, of change and of fear.

The Essential Kenny Loggins includes thirty-five of Kenny's songs. Some are award winning hits, others are less well known; all exemplify Kenny's brilliant career. The CD set includes some of his early work which he recorded with Jim Messina, as well as songs from his solo career.

(While I'm tempted to write a blurb about each song and what each means to me, no one will want to read a 30 page review. Besides, this review is about the CD set - not the individual songs, so I'll try to limit my discussion to the entire collection.)

Kenny Loggins has been recording and performing popular hits for over 30 years. His musical style encompasses good old fashioned rock and roll, true commercial pop, and some delightful children's songs. Rock and rollers will recognize Your Mama Don't Dance and Angry Eyes, popular music fans will hum along with Grammy winning This Is It and Danny's Song, movie fans will know I'm Alright from Caddyshack, and Footloose and just about anyone who has kids or has ever been a kid will recognize Kenny's classic House at Pooh Corner. Some people may not think they know Kenny Loggins' music, but I'm betting that most people will at least recognize several of his hit songs.

When I purchased The Essential Kenny Loggins and listened to A Love Song, I thought, "Hey, I know this song but always thought that it was by John Denver." That's a bit embarrassing to admit. I also have a very distinct memory of sitting in a Philadelphia restaurant with my college room mate and a few other friends, when Danny's Song came on the radio. By then the song had been out for years and I had heard it many times, but I remember thinking that it was a beautiful love song - that everyone must want to love and be loved that way. Of course back then I didn't know that it was Kenny Loggins singing, and I thought that it was Annie's Song, written about the singer's girlfriend. Now I know that the song was a gift to Kenny's brother Danny when Danny fell in love. The point is that whether or not we recognize the song titles, Kenny's music has staying power and has woven its way into the fabric of our times.

The Essential Kenny Loggins is a compilation of songs that we have shared for three decades. Is this compilation perfect? No - of course not. It doesn't include all of Kenny's music, and some of my personal favorites (like Cody's Song, If You Believe, One Chance at a Time and Just Breathe) are not included. It is close to perfect though. Initially, I questioned the inclusion of some songs, and the exclusion of others. For example, some of the songs that Kenny wrote for motion pictures (I'm Alright, Danger Zone, and Footloose) are included on the album, and, in my opinion, are rather commercial and not his finest work. Personally, I would have preferred it had they been left of the CD in favor of some of Kenny's more recent work.

I also questioned why House at Pooh Corner and Return to Pooh Corner were both included. The first was recorded with Jim Messina back in 1972. It was written by Kenny when he was about to graduate from high school, and it is a beautiful classic song for both children and adults. When asked about the song, Kenny said, "Pooh was the first book I ever read as a child. Because of that connection, those books held a special magic for me. When I was a senior in high school, the passage about Christopher Robin going away to school was especially poignant to me. That's what inspired my "House at Pooh Corner".

Return to Pooh Corner was written and recorded in 1994. It is an updated solo version of House at Pooh Corner. Kenny added the following verse:

It's hard to explain how a few precious things
Seem to follow throughout all our lives
After all's said and done I was watching my son
Sleeping there with my bear by his side
So I tucked him in, I kissed him and as I was going
I swear that the old bear whispered "Boy welcome home"

Then it dawned on me. This is not a "Best of" CD; this is not a "greatest hits" CD. This is a compilation of songs that highlight Kenny's musical career over three decades. Both Pooh songs had to be included on the CD because they show a full circle of Kenny's musical contribution. They show how a song that he originally wrote as a teenager leaving home and going out into the world for the first time, is still meaningful to him over 20 years later while he watches his own children growing up. Maybe Footloose is not Kenny's "best" work, but the song was a huge hit, and represents the substantial number of songs that Kenny wrote for the motion picture industry.

The Essential Kenny Loggins demonstrates the range of Kenny's talents and contributions. It includes love songs like I Believe in Love and the The Unimaginable Life, it includes life songs like This Is It and The Real Thing, it includes children's songs like All the Little Ponies and Your Heart Will Lead You Home and it includes some songs that are just plain fun like Vahevala and Don't Fight It.

The Essential Kenny Loggins is a pleasure to listen to. It stirs both memories and emotions. My own personal perfect Kenny Loggins compilation would be a four CD set packed full of all of my favorites. It would have one CD that makes me smile, one that makes me cry, one that makes me jump up and dance, and a fourth of music that I want to listen to with my little nephew. My perfect Kenny Loggins CD would have even more of my favorite music included. The Essential Kenny Loggins falls just short of perfect - not by fault of any songs that are included, but because so many great songs could not be included in a 2 CD set. The set, however, is close enough to perfect to earn five stars.

When I listen to Kenny Loggins music now, I no longer mistake him for John Denver or any other artist. I know his voice and I recognize the honesty in his lyrics. I am anxiously awaiting some new music from Kenny, but until that time, I am thoroughly enjoying revisiting the past 30 years through The Essential Kenny Loggins. I highly recommend this set, and hope that you enjoy the music as much as I!