On 14th December 2002 Gary of Harmody.com reviewed Kasim Sulton's latest album Quid Pro Quo. Unfortunately Harmody.com has now closed down so this is the review (reproduced unedited):
Rated 80/100
Kasim Sulton releases albums about as often as Boston or Def Leppard, but at least he has a good excuse. He's constantly on the road or working in the studio on everybody's albums but his own. His new album Quid Pro Quo is technically his first release since 1982's self titled album, if you don't count 1986's Price/Sulton album he did with Tommy Price and the collection of demos called The Basement Tapes which came out in 1993.
Sulton's resume reads like a who's who of pop/rock acts, but he is primarily recognized as a member of Utopia with Todd Rundgren. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree here as Quid Pro Quo is a collection of infectious pop songs with a lot of similarities to Rundgren's poppier work. Kasim played all the instruments on the album except for some guitar parts on one track and wrote or co-wrote 8 of the albums 10 tracks.
Opening track "Sacrifice" gives the listener a good idea of what they are in for. A simple 4 minute pop song with a great melody, catchy chorus and introspective lyrics, sung in Sulton's clear and crisp vocal style. The next track, "Before She Was Gone" is a candidate for best song on the album. Just another simple mid-tempo melody, with a nice piano line. The lyrics and vocal delivery really make this song. I can see an acoustic version of this going over well in concert.
My favorite song on the album though is "Over For Now." A slice of pure pop, with a doo-wop cadence, this also features Kasim's best vocal performance. Utopia-ish layered background vocals and a tasty guitar solo towards the end really make this a classic Kasim song. This song could be a huge hit for Cliff Richard. In fact, it reminds me a lot of a more up tempo version of his hit "Daddy's Home." Unfortunately, both Cliff and Kasim won't get much airtime on US radio anymore.
The album gets a little eclectic also. A cover of the Finn Brothers (Crowded House) "Where Is My Soul" comes out of left field with it's piano flourish's and string parts. I prefer this version over the Finn's any day. He also covers Harry Nilsson's "Remember" which people might remember from the You've Got Mail soundtrack. Kasim does a great version here, sounding a lot like Paul McCartney in some parts. Closing track "Goodbye" also shows some Beatle's influence, with a sitar part in the middle.
"We The People," co-written with George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam from overlooked '80's band Boy Meets Girl starts out as a piano based, patriotic ballad before bursting into this huge chorus. Maybe it's just me, but I can close my eyes and see this song being used for a big production number on some '70's variety show (and I don't mean that in a bad way)with dancers coming down huge staircases doing leg kicks. "Heaven Help The Child," co-written with Glen Burtnik is a nice ballad. Another great hook is augmented by piano and keyboards.
The cd also contains a hidden bonus track at the 5:25 mark of Track 10. A real upbeat song that could easily fit on some of the later Utopia albums. The inside of the cd booklet is kind of cool also with pictures of Kasim as a baby through present day. Also, some memorabilia is scattered among the pictures including a Utopia publicity shot, Kasim's Musicians' Union card from 1978 (with last name misspelled) and a Utopia ticket stub printed on that old, rainbow colored Ticketron paper (and a ticket in the first row center for only $11!).
Fans of Kasim's work with Utopia, Rundgren and Meatloaf will love this album. The melodic songs and vocal style will be easily recognizable. The production is very good, and while Sulton's voice sometimes gets a little thin while reaching for the high notes, he generally sounds great. Fans of what passes for pop songs nowadays should give this a listen to see how pop music should be done.