Air Supply Album: “Mumbo Jumbo”

Quite often artists are quoted as saying that their lastest release is their best work ever and Air Supply is no exception. The difference is that this time it may very well be correct! Mumbo Jumbo is a concept album that is a little complicated, but it works. The music definitely supports the entire conceptual story; however, most of the songs can stand alone without an explanation.

The thing that makes this Air Supply release so good is the upbeat nature of the majority of the songs. Of course, there are some great classic Air Supply ballads on this CD; "Hold On", "Why" and "Until". There are several great upbeat songs that are simply fun to listen to repeatedly; "Dance with Me", "A Little Bit of Everything", "Alternate Ending", "Mumbo Jumbo", and "Faith in Love". There is one rocker on this CD which is "Me Like You" and it is awesome!

Hail to Air Supply and Odds On Records for this release. It would be great if Odds On released "Me Like You" as a single. It would be a bold statement that Air Supply can rock as hard as the next band and isn't just an old softy. Of course, any Airhead could already tell you that.

Caution to anyone who buys this CD, it is very addicting!!

I love this cd. Highesty kudos to this highly talented group on this welcomed release of all brand new material. Air Supply was huge in the 80s and had a certain formula of heavily orchestrated sweet pop ballads. Many critics considered these attempts pure bubble gum but no one could resist the charm and pure romanticism in their music. They have tried a few other cds of new material over the years to not much success. But here they give us a cd of songs that show a whole other side to Air Supply. Of course these are love songs and filled with emotion but this set MUMBO JUMBO rivals their best work and reaches a level much more inventive and original than anything they have ever done before.

From the opening note of the electronic, slightly mystical SETTING THE SEEN the listener knows this is a different Air Supply. The song proves to be lovely and heartfelt - a perfect intro to this magical set. Next is my favorite DANCE WITH ME which has words and lyrics that could have been with a song by Air Supply recorded in their prime but it with this song that we see how different things really are. The over orchestrated styly is gone. Instead the music is with a pop rock band on all songs and extremes are gone. Instead we get pure quality music. In the past Russell Hitchcock ruled most of the vocals while here they are shared 50/50 with partner Graham Russell with both taking solos and most often singing together with perfect harmonies.

There are no misses here. The ballads HOLD ON, A LITTLE BIT MORE, WHY and CAN I BE YOUR LOVER all have their own identity and are beautiful expressions of sincere passion and feeling. ALTERNATE ENDING and ME LIKE YOU are adventurous pop rock songs different from anything they have done before. More adult feelings and emotions are expressed in these pop songs and with LOVESEX which sounds very gimmicky they provide a modern, original superb song that has hit written all over it. The cd ends with UNTIL the most expressive ballad here and we see again how the over orchestration is gone. Picture the Air Supply you know and love improved and modern stretching their creative limits. They don't rest on their musical laurels at all here. It will all ring true to die hard Air Supply fans while being so new and current as to earn them many new fans. My only regret is the title of the cd MUMBO JUMBO. The song is perfect and the reasoning behind the title is clearly shown in the liner notes but for a group coming from the past with new music it just doesn't seem like a good title to grab new listeners. The title might seem silly but ignore that. This is quality music showing that talent never dies and that when artists do possess true talent they can always change, learn, expand and become more inventive. I highly recommend this cd. MUMBO JUMBO is a huge success.

HAVING SEEN AIR SUPPLY LIVE 4 TIMES IN 2012 I CAN SAY WITH OUT A DOUBT, AIR SUPPLY ROCKS. The arena was shaking as AIR SUPPLY proved that after 37 years together, they still have die hard fans.

I have always been a huge fan of Air Supply, having seen my very first concert years ago at the tender age of 12. This CD shows that they've still "got it", from Graham's melodies and poetic lyrics to Russell's stunning tenor voice, which, I must say, has not changed in quality. The song "Until" is a nice thought-provoking vocal song that showcases Russell's superb technique and vocal control, as well as his power. Not many people have pipes like Russell. Air Supply has shown that they are not just about power ballads, but has demonstrated their versatility and their ability to rock with songs like "Me Like You", "Mumbo Jumbo", and the charting hit "Dance With Me". Of course, I will always have a special place in my heart for their classic 80's ballads, but I like their new stuff as well.

For the casual fan of Air Supply, you will not know the roller coaster that the wait for this record has been. This record was promised year after year and the year would pass by without a single word of news about the record. But alas after 6 years of waiting we are finally graced with their latest effort.

The record was certainly worth the wait as this is an entirely new direction for Air Supply, the album dabbles in rock intermixed with their signature ballads, a healthy direction for the duo. I have listened to countless Air Supply fans call this the greatest work in their career, well I cannot agree with that. Air Supply have been around for 35 years and they sure sound like it! Russell has nearly lost all of his voice and he certainly struggles on this record even with the help of the producers doctoring his voice. Graham has taken over the job of lead singer on this record as well which he does not have the voice for. However the songwriting is better than average on this record compared to their previous atrocity "Across The Concrete Sky" and the production was top notch on this!

Lets break this record down. It is supposed to follow the story of "Zed" and the world he lives in trying to find the place "Mumbo Jumbo". I cant go into too much detail into the story as it is not very easy to follow. But it does not matter in my opinion the record does just fine with the songs standing alone and not being part of the story.

Setting The Scene - An introduction to the record and Graham lays down the story for us here. He sings way to fast and the record does not include lyrics so good luck trying to follow along. The song is decent but can be skipped in my opinion.

Dance With Me - The lead single. A decent track which seems to be a favorite of allot of the fans. The single charted fairly well on the A/C charts. An upbeat song with Russell and Graham sharing the vocal duties. Typical Air Supply song but the production is done well on this song.

A Little Bit Of Everything - One of my favorites on the record. This upbeat song will get in your head and you will find yourself singing along for the remainder of the day. This song is a departure from the usual sound of Air Supply.

Hold On - The standout track of the record, this is easily the best song on the album! This one features Michael Johns of American Idol fame and just rocks! It has an awesome guitar solo and is just a well written song, although Russell struggles on this quite a bit. Nevertheless this is still a great song!

A Little Bit More - This is one of the weaker songs that is sung solely by Graham. This is an acoustic song that seems a bit out of place. I usually skip over this one.

Alternate Ending - One of the gems of the record, very upbeat and well done to boot. This is one of my favorites. This is another rock song that is a departure of the usual sound. Great song!!

I Wont Let It Get In The Way - This song has a groovy sound that would fit in on one of the albums they did in the 70's. I like this song allot.

Why - That is a good question? Why is this track on this record? This was recorded several years ago with the Celtic Tenors and is extremely out of place on this upbeat rock record. Decent song but it does NOT belong on this record.

Me Like You - This song rocks! An anthem rocker that completely abandons the normal sound of Air Supply. Awesome upbeat rock song! One of the standout tracks on the album!

Mumbo Jumbo - The title track is another upbeat song but I skip this one. I find this song blasphemous as it attacks religion. While Graham is allowed to believe what he wants I was disappointed that he incorporated that into Air Supply music. While this song may be an integral part to the story, I just cant listen to this song.

Faith In Love - One of the better tracks off the record. This was the first song written for the record and has been recorded a few times and played live for years, but this is the best version by far!! Vintage Air Supply!

Can I Be Your Lover - Another low key song sung solely by Graham. This one is mediocre at best.

LoveSex - A fun song that is getting allot of criticism by fans. I like this song allot though! There is allot play on this song and I call it one of the stronger tracks.

Until - The only song sung solely by Russell. This ballad closes the album nicely but I think this song could have been so much more! A wee bit of a disappointment compared to what it could have been.

This record is certainly an evolution in their music and is worth a listen but I cannot call this one their best record but it certainly is the best over the last decade.