Todd Rundgren – Nearly Human

In an interview with Red Bull Music Academy, rock legend Todd Rundgren shared that his early influences had a lot to do with “a DJ that we had in the Philadelphia area named Jerry Blavat. He used to play exclusively R&B music. I was sort of fortunate to live in Philadelphia because we’re right on the border south of the Mason-Dixon line.” Rundgren’s second record for Warner Brothers Nearly Human came after a four-year hiatus from recording solo material and draws heavily from his early R&B and soul influences. Unlike other Rundgren albums where he played all the instruments and sang lead and backing vocals, Nearly Human was recorded live in the studio with numerous musicians including backing singers, conga players, and brass, along with members of Rundgren’s defunct band Utopia. In particular, “Fidelity” is a blue-eyed-soul gem that cruises along a catchy digital keyboard motif, while Rundgren expresses the full-range of his emotions through that beautiful falsetto. “True love does not demand fidelity, if there’s one sacred place in your heart for me.”

Recommended – A3 Parallel Lines, A2 The Waiting Game, B1 Fidelity