Balin

Nearly 40, Marty Balin returned to his long-interrupted solo career in 1981 after spending 16 years founding and leading Jefferson Airplane and guiding Jefferson Starship to new heights. The aching tenor was in place and the pop sensibility was as strong as ever -- there were two hits, "Hearts" (number eight) and "Atlanta Lady" (number 27) -- but the album was a disappointment to fans who had waited so long for Balin to make his move. He leaned on his friend Jesse Barish for material, contributing to only one of the songs as co-composer, and although his voice conveyed erotic longing as strongly as it had on Starship hits like "Miracles," as a solo artist he seemed to lack the rock edge the group had provided. ~ William Ruhlmann