Bringing back another long time out of print ’80s album, reissue label Music On CD is making available again DAN HARTMAN 1984’s “I Can Dream About You“. A key member of the rock band The Edgar Winter Group, Hartman started a solo career in the second half of the Seventies, and “I Can Dream About You” is Dan Hartman’s fifth studio album – his first for MCA Records.
This album marked the beginning of his collaboration with longtime songwriting partner Charlie Midnight, with whom he continued to write throughout the decade.
Hartman and Midnight co-wrote eight of the ten tracks, with the title track written solely by Hartman and the closing track, “Electricity,” written by Hartman and Nona Hendryx (from Labelle). Production was handled by Hartman himself and by Jimmy Iovine, a renowned for his work with artists like Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks, to name a few.
The combined efforts of Hartman, Midnight, and Iovine resulted in a focused and consistently rewarding album. And of course, the top session musicians participating including Richie Zito, Michael Thompson, Joe Pizzullo, Winston Ford, etc.
The first part of this album works like perfect mid-Eighties soundtrack – any of the songs could have been on any film from the era, fun and pumping. If fact, the title track was composed for the cult movie “Streets of Fire”, a terrific soundtrack CD btw.
Primarily a pop / rock album with that ’80s sound, “I Can Dream About You” also features urban contemporary and pop elements in the second half or ‘Side B’. Not so good like the flip side, but still enjoyable nonetheless.
Dan Hartman (RIP) not only was a solid songwriter and a good vocalist, but also a skilled musician, performing various instruments on this record.
”I Can Dream About You” was Hartman’s final mainstream studio album, although he did record a follow-up in 1986 titled White Boy. However, MCA felt the songs did not suit Hartman’s image and so the album was shelved, although it has been in circulation unofficially in recent years online. Hartman’s final studio album, New Green Clear Blue, was released in 1989, and was an instrumental new age-styled release.
”I Can Dream About You” is pure ’80s, fun, entertaining, and if you love that type of songs for movie soundtracks, this is for you.
Highly Recommended
01 – We Are The Young
02 – I Can Dream About You
03 – Shy Hearts
04 – I’m Not A Rolling Stone
05 – Rage To Live
06 – Name Of The Game
07 – Power Of A Good Love
08 – Second Nature
09 – I Can’t Get Enough
10 – Electricity
Lead vocals, Guitar, Keys – Dan Hartman
Bass – Eddie Watkins
Acoustic piano – Billy Payne
Drums – Art Wood
Guitar – Richie Zito
Guitar – Michael Thompson
Percussion – Bobbye Hall
Backing vocals – Dan Hartman, Joe Pizzulo, Winston Ford, Ellen Foley