Richard Marx - My Own Best Enemy (2004)

Richard Marx knows what he's good at and that would be rock-tinged power ballads--and, as evidenced by My Own Best Enemy, he's sticking to it. The disc, it should be argued, matches Marx's work on early'90s hits like "Should've Known Better," and he's bound to find an appreciative audience.

Personnel include: Richard Marx (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); Keith Urban, Michael Landau, Michael Thompson , Stephen Balderston (guitar); J.T. Corenflos (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Gary Smith (keyboards); David Cole (synthesizer); Glen Worf (bass guitar); Greg Bissonette, Steve Brewster (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); John Blasucci (drum programming); Jessica Andrews (background vocals).

In the 1980s, Richard Marx embodied a successful brand of pop/rock that combined the gritty American Heartland sounds of Bob Seger and John Mellencamp with the smooth production style and heart-on-the-sleeve romanticism of the Barry Manilow/Leo Sayer set. Marx continued to work steadily into the early 2000s with other artists, finding prosperity as a songwriter and producer for N Sync, Josh Groban, and other chart-toppers.
In 2003, he won a Grammy award for his co-authorship of the Luther Vandross hit "Dance with My Father."

Marx's MY OWN BEST ENEMY is a comeback album of sorts, and finds the multi-talented vocalist in as strong a form as ever. Straight-up AOR pop with a hint of twang, the record alternates between mid-tempo, groove-oriented songs ("Nothing Left to Say," "Again") and the majestic power ballads for which Marx is so well known ("Ready to Fly"). The disc is also a showcase for Marx's dark, slightly left-of-center lyrical bent, which often stands in subtle and effective contrast to the music's sunnier tone. A welcome return from an oft-underrated artist, MY OWN BEST ENEMY reveals Richard Marx as an unusually complex musician reaching the peak of his creative powers.