Like so many of his baby boomer peers,
Glenn Frey
is getting a little misty as he's reaching his golden years so he's chosen to look back to the past -- all the way past rock & roll and to the standards of the days before
Elvis
, picking a bunch of classics for the mellow covers album
After Hours
. Aging rebel that he is,
Frey
bends the rules a bit so he can shoehorn in songs by
Brian Wilson
("Caroline, No") and
Randy Newman
("Same Girl") along with
Burt Bacharach
's "The Look of Love," the latter suggesting the true vibe of
. It's halfway between cabaret and lounge, smooth and relaxed and just this side of cornball.
has never been a vocal powerhouse, but his subdued singing is a strength here as he eases into the gossamer arrangements, letting everything glide by with poise. It's music for smoky, romantic late nights -- nothing more and nothing less. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine