Road to Forever

Personnel: Don Felder (vocals, guitar, background vocals); David Paich (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond b-3 organ); Timothy Drury (piano, keyboards, background vocals); Robin Dimaggio (piano, drums, percussion, keyboard programming); Michael Finnigan (Hammond b-3 organ); Alex Allesandroni, Michael Bearden, Steve Porcaro (keyboards); Lenny Castro (percussion); Charlotte Gibson (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Ed Cherney .
Photographers: Myriam Santos; Michael Helms.
At the turn of the century, Don Felder split from both his longtime wife and from the Eagles, two tumultuous events that took some time to process. First, he wrote a memoir -- Heaven and Hell, published in 2008 -- then he set about writing and recording his first solo album since 1983's Airborne. Road to Forever, released in the fall of 2012, certainly bears the production hallmarks of its time -- it's precise, shining, and clean, lacking the warm analog air of 1983 -- but musically Felder pledges allegiance to classic rock, either through propulsive guitar-fueled arena rockers or soft, sweet folk-pop. There may be the occasional good-time anthem -- the thudding strut of "Girls in Black" -- but Felder also works out the pain of the last few years, giving Road to Forever more than one emotional dimension, something that suits the nicely shaded, craftsman-like pop/rock on this enjoyable, reflective record. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine