Hollywood Beyond

  • Hollywood Beyond
  • If (Warner Bros.) 1987 

Birmingham, England singer/songwriter Mark Rogers, under the name Hollywood Beyond, gave it his best shot on If, an energetic, soulful techno-rock record produced by Bernard Edwards, Mike Thorne, Stephen Hague and others. Rogers’ voice isn’t altogether distinctive, but he croons and belts ably enough to be heard. The music likewise bends toward facelessness, but If‘s slickness, verve and variety keep it from being boring. Overambitious and premature, perhaps, but not at all bad.

[Ira Robbins]