"Vox Humana" by Kenny Loggins

Song#:  2267
Date:  03/23/1985
Debut:  64
Peak:  29
Weeks:  10
Genre:  Synthpop, Rock



Pop Bits:  Following the huge success of the Footloose soundtrack and its #1 title track, Loggins retreated to the studio to record his fifth solo album. Assembling an all-star list of producers (David Foster, Michael Omaritan) and musicians (Sheena Easton, Sheila E., El Debarge, Philip Baily, David Sanborn, Steve Porcaro, Steve Lukather, etc.), Loggins finished of the new project titled Vox Humana. To introduce the LP, this first title-track single was issued. It did acceptably well at Rock getting to #18, but it was a bit of a bust at Pop where the single stalled just inside the Top 30. With Loggins' popularity at an all-time high thanks to his work on Footloose, the results were quite disappointing. In turn, the album would stop at #41, which was his worst showing on the chart to that point. However, due to his popularity and AC success of his next single, the album did eventually get certified gold.

ReduxReview:  This song was just a big mistake. Frankly, it's a mess. It's like Loggins took elements of his previous film hits, smashed them together with studio tricks in a blender, and mixed it into a slurry that was free of any hooks. To top it off, he gives it a highfalutin' title that is barely audible in the bridge. It's loud and bombastic - and not in the good way. I'm all for artists experimenting a bit with their sound or style, but this was just wacky. And to top it off, it gets released as a single. Luckily, Loggins' bacon was saved thanks to another big movie song because this had career-ender written all over it. These days, this song is kind of an interesting relic in his catalog, but at the time it was an over-the-top aural assault that put an unattractive crimp in Loggins' career.

ReduxRating:  3/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) "Vox Humana" is Latin for "human voice." It is also the name of a reed stop on a pipe organ. When used in combination with a vibrato effect from another organ setting, the sound made is meant to mimic a human voice.  2) Loggins wrote this song with Anita and June Pointer from the Pointer Sisters. Apparently Loggins wanted to experiment with newer synthpop sounds combined with and R&B swing style, which the Pointer Sisters had dabbled in with their recent smash album Break Out. All three Pointer Sisters performed backing vocals for the song.

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