Takin' It to the Streets

Takin' It to the Streets is a record on which FM, centered on Steve Overland’s smooth singing, added the soft colors of soul and pop to a melodic-hard frame. The guitar and keyboards do not compete but raise the songs’ temperature while enveloping the vocals. It weaves richer groove and refinement into the AOR style established on the previous two albums. Alongside originals like “I'm Ready,” “She's No Angel” and “The Thrill Of It All,” the song choices — including a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” — show the band frankly revealing its soul/R&B roots. Songs like “Only The Strong Survive” and “Bad Blood” carry refined arrangement too. Winning through both refinement and accessibility rather than relying on big choruses alone, it is a flavorful record showing the breadth of FM’s music.