Hi Infidelity (30th Anniversary Edition)

iTunes Review

REO Speedwagon’s Hi Infidelity was the album that put this Midwestern hard-rock band over the top. For years, they’d been grinding it out on the road, gradually adding fans while playing an assortment of blues-rock, boogie and hard rock. But with the help of the mega-hit “Keep On Loving You” and the follow-up radio songs, “Don’t Let Him Go,” “Follow My Heart” and “Take It On the Run,” the band reached their commercial peak. The album was a sleek production with songs that went for the radio jugular. There’s an undeniable urgency to the punchy pop-rock of “Tough Guys,” the sweet undertow of “In Your Letter” and the piano fury behind “Shakin’ It Loose.” The 2011 30th Anniversary Edition includes completely remastered sound and studio demos of nine of the album’s tracks that showcase a group that could pull the songs off live without the extra production embellishments. Along with Foreigner, Styx, Journey and Asia, REO Speedwagon set the tone for the power ballads and hard rockers later in the decade while dominating radio at the onset of the ‘80s.