Christopher Cross – Christopher Cross

This week’s Record Roulette album is Christopher Cross, the self-titled debut album by Christopher Cross. The album’s cover, filled with bright colors and a flamingo standing in water, is what drew my attention to this record. I had also never heard of this artist before, so the name itself interested me. Upon further research, I found that this album was released in December of 1979, and was produced by Michael Omartian, who had previously worked with Steely Dan. Since the first album I reviewed for this Record Roulette adventure was by Steely Dan, I was very excited to see what Christopher Cross had in store for me.

Before listening to this record, I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, the opening track, “Say You’ll Be Mine,” gave me a strong idea of what the rest of the album was going to sound like. Or so I thought. This is without a doubt a ‘70s soft rock album, sounding very similar to acts such as Fleetwood Mac, but what took me by surprise is how it manages to strike a balance between ’70s soft rock & ’80s contemporary. Despite the fact that the ’80s hadn’t even taken place when it came out, this album perfectly captures the mixture of these two eras of music. Although there are certainly synthesizers on this record, they’re really not that prominent at all. Instead, the record’s sound is mostly shaped by warm-sounding electric and acoustic piano, crisp drumming and glistening guitar solos.

In addition to the ‘70s and ‘80s style that’s heard throughout the album, this record also throws in a hint of the ‘60s on the track, “Poor Shirley.” This track, which sounds heavily influenced by The Beach Boys, offers a nice change of style that led it to be one of my favorites off the record. Two other of my personal stand-out tracks include “Never Be the Same,” a fast-paced track filled with twinkly keyboard sounds, and “Sailing,” a smooth ballad filled with emotion and lush melodies.

All in all, I enjoyed this album a lot more than I expected to. Although I’m a fan of some ‘70s musicians and songs, I definitely have more of a sweet spot for the ‘80s, which is why I was taken by surprise. Regardless, Christopher Cross reeled me in with his musicianship and clear tenor vocals. There’s no doubt that I’ll continue to listen to this album, as I’ve already caught myself going back and listening to it. I definitely recommend this album to anyone who enjoys soft rock or ‘70s music in general.