Dance Into The Light

Collins, the avatar of '80s and '90s nice-guy pop, has endeared himself to millions with his earnest lyrics, lavish arrangements and guy-next-door persona. On DANCE INTO THE LIGHT, he goes worldwide, at least in a musical way. With its prominent African influence, DANCE INTO THE LIGHT represents Collins' first foray outside his American pop and R&B roots. Here, Collins' hook-laden pop takes a back seat to a more worldbeat-oriented sound. One gets the impression he's been holed up with GRACELAND and the complete works of former Genesis bandmate Peter Gabriel for the last year.
The rhythms, horn lines and offhand lyrics of "Wear My Hat" recall Paul Simon's "I Know What I Know", while his cover of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'" sounds like a combination of Gabriel's "Biko" and "Solsbury Hill". Collins maintains an overall sound consistent with his previous albums, but the focus has shifted from melody to groove. The supple polyrhythms of the title cut find him working hard to disprove the title of his old Genesis hit "I Can't Dance".|