WE CAN'T DANCE

If you follow Genesis' career sequentially, listening to how each album evolves and the sound changes, surely you'll make some judgements about which albums are better or worse, and where quality drops. In my opinion, the most notable drop in terms of inspiration came in the mid 80's, with the likes of the "Genesis" and "Invisible Touch" discs. Thankfully, "We Can't Dance" is something of a bounceback. Not the greatest Genesis album you'll hear, and not even the best as a trio (that just might be "Duke"). But here, the band crafts songs that are on the whole better developed and both lyrically and sonically deeper than the pop that characterized "Invisible Touch".

"We Can't Dance" is well-produced, and a good split between shorter and longer tunes, giving the group a chance to assault the singles charts (i.e. "Jesus He Knows Me", "I Can't Dance") and flex what's left of their prog-rock/instrumental muscles ("Fading Lights", "Driving the Last Spike"). Sure, there are some cringeworthy moments with the ballads ("Hold on My Heart" and "Since You've Been Gone" rank pretty low in terms of the musical complexities of Genesis' back catalog). But mostly, the LP is a fully realised, expansive (almost 72 min) work. The themes touched on with "Way of the World" and "Tell Me Why" show Phil Collins' social consciousness, while darker tracks like "Dreaming WHile You Sleep" and "No Son of Mine" recall the atmospheres of the late 70's-early 80's records.

In short, an improvement over "Invisible Tocuh", and a nice way for Phil Collins to bow out, with the band on the upswing.