John Oates

In ’70s and ’80s MOR-pop lore, few artists had more impact than songwriter-keytarist John Oates of the ubiquitous superduo Hall And Oates. Together, their singles dominated pop radio for so long that to think of their song titles—“She’s Gone,” “Private Eyes,” “Maneater,” and so on—is to mentally start singing along. Over the last decade, the multi-talented Oates finally detached from his partner and recorded a few solo records: 2002’s Phunk Shui and 2008’s 1000 Miles Of Life, both so-so adult-contemporary collections with a few soft-rock gems. 2011’s Mississippi Mile is a gritty Americana take on a number of classics from Oates’ childhood, a swamp stomping trip through songs from Elvis Presley to Curtis Mayfield. Oates’ even offers a twangy reinterpretation of his own “You Make My Dreams Come True.”

Updated 03/01/2012