Hi-Fi

Liner Note Author: Tommy James .
Recording information: Aura Sssound; Cove City Sound; East Hill Studios, Palisades Park, NJ; Second City Sound Studio, Glen Gove, Long Island.
Photographer: Waring Abbott.
Generally regarded as Tommy James' comeback album after so much of the 1980s was spent in the wilderness, Hi-Fi is not the strongest record he had made since his heyday, nor one that would bring the old fans pouring back into earshot. But repeated listenings and the passage of time have pulled a handful of gems from the general uncertainty of the set as a whole, with "Burnin` for You," "Go," and -- best of all -- "Ordinary Girl" all standing especially proud. At the time, of course, Hi-Fi foundered, overlooked in the stores and review columns alike. Reissued in 2011 as part of a two-fer with the preceding Three Times in Love (1980), it may stand more of a chance of being heard. ~ Dave Thompson