Eye to Eye

I became aware of Eye to Eye from their association with Steely Dan, namely producer Gary Katz.  Their self titled debut album from 1982 really caught my ear about a decade or so ago.  Immaculate production, as you would expect from Katz, who recruited many Dan session players, including Chuck Rainey, Dean Parks, and even SD co-founder Donald Fagen.  Eye to Eye's nucleus is the duo of singer Deborah Berg and keyboardist Julian Marshall.

Their songwriting is quite impressive.  The arrangements are complex and utterly unpredictable, a joy for the auditory cortex.  The witty lyrics share bars with some genuinely emotional sentiments, entirely earned.  Unlike many other artists who attempt such material, the songs never ring contrived or false.  A few, like "On the Mend" really get you in the aorta.  That one has moved me to tears more than once.

There is a lot of minor key mastery here.  That unmistakable early '80s sound, mainly the bass and keyboard work, combined with Berg's gorgeous voice (described by one critic as "so clean that you feel as if you have taken a long bath after listening"). She has admirable range.  Some songs are downright bouncy ("Nice Girls", "Life in Motion", "Physical Attraction").   Others feel melancholy and upbeat simultaneously ("Hunger Pains").  My favorites are the lamenting "More Hopeless Knowledge" and "Time Flys", which has a stunning chorus - Berg's alto part flying over the backing musicians combines in a manner that is almost as exciting as when Steve Gadd's drums thundered along with Wayne Shorter's saxophone on Steely Dan's "Aja."  For real.

This is a great after hours album.  Even if you don't pay attention to the words (but please do), the vibe created is of introspection, of a bemused analysis of social dynamics and courtship.  It's clever throughout, but, other than a few moments here and there, not too smug.

Eye to Eye would record another album in the '80s, Shakespeare Stole My Baby, but was dropped by Warner Brothers soon after due to low sales.  The duo returned in 2005 with Clean Slate and then continued on.  I'll have to get back to you on the other albums.  Eye to Eye, however, will always remain thirty six minutes of elegant bliss.  Crazily dated and quaint, and as powerful as ever.