On and On: The Hits of Stephen Bishop

Soft rock specialist Stephen Bishop contributed handily to some of the late-'70s' most insipid ballads, but they always contained a little bit of elegance and passion in one form or another. The Hits of Stephen Bishop captures 18 of his best tracks, conveniently comprising both his soundtrack work and his charted singles. Bishop supplied the film Tootsie with the emotional "It Might Be You," which peaked at number 25 on Billboard in 1983. His soundtrack work also included the genuine sounding "Only Love" from Arthur, as well as the theme from China Syndrome entitled "Somewhere In-Between." Outside of his soundtrack work, "On and On" was his highest charting single and is by far his most moving, reaching number 11 in 1977. His delicate vocal approach is what makes the other tracks on this compilation creditable, but taking his frail form of mush pop at face value should be implemented all the while. Songs like "Little Italy" and "Losing Myself in You" harbor some appeal, and Eric Clapton's guitar work with Chaka Khan's background vocals make "Save It for a Rainy Day" that much more worthwhile. This hits package is all that is required in order to enjoy Bishop's overly sentimental offerings.