This was the least successful of Kenny Loggins albums (hard to believe that LEAP OF FAITH his next one ranked at 71 on the charts but went platinum!) It includes his last two movie themes from the 1980s the synth driven Caddyshack 2 theme and "Meet Me Half Way" from Over The Top: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack which was a much better movie. There are a few weak spots with members of Starship, Mr. Mister and of course Michael McDonald showing up. He should have written a much slower number for his daughter than "Isabella's Eyes" and he would with "The Real Thing".

Sorely overshadowed by it's predecessor "Vox Humana" and the epic masterpiece that was "Leap of Faith", "Back TO Avalon" is among the most overlooked and sadly forgotten albums in Kenny Loggins's catalog. Released in 1988, it features some really wonderful tracks such as "I'm Gonna Miss You", "One Woman", the atmospheric title track, the Michael McDonald duet "She's Dangerous" and the beautiful closer "Meet Me Half Way". This album in many respects is a maturing over the commercial-driven pop of "Vox Humana" but even then, it shows no example of the epic beauty that was to become "Leap of Faith", just three years after this one. Still BTA is a must-have.

IMHO This 1988 album is Kenny's very best & that's saying quite alot considering his impressive body of work over the decades. It's similar sounding to 1985's Vox Humana & 1982's High Adventure but the production is better & it's chock full of well written songs with lush melodies. Only 2 songs were released from this album as singles. The mellow but excellent - "Meet Me Half Way" (Theme from the movie - Over the Top) & the awesome high energy rocker - "Nobody's Fool" (Theme from the movie - Caddyshack II). There are also many more great uptempo songs here that could've easily been hit singles as well. Songs like: Tell Her, One Woman, True Confessions, Hope for the Runaway & Isabella's Eyes are all superb numbers & are either just as good or almost as good as anything Kenny has ever put out on the radio. Michael McDonald also guest appears on this album & as always, provides excellent b/g vocals on the track -"She's Dangerous". All in all, this album is very strong from beginning to end & contains no filler whatsoever. I highly recommend it to any Loggins fan & give it 5 stars.

Loggins is highly underrated. Forget "Footloose," etc. He is a songwriter, and this is one of the albums that was a great piece of writing set to music. Update your collection, recall some of these radio hits, and really listen to the lyrics.

I like Kenny Loggins.

What's more, I like "Back To Avalon."

There, I've said it.

Seriously, this album is probably one of his best albums; it's certainly one of his most maligned.

And true, by the time "Avalon" came out in 1988, people were suffering from Loggins Overload. It seemed that there wasn't a single movie made between 1983's "Footloose" and 1987's "Over The Top" that didn't have a Kenny Loggins song in it.

While it's true that "Avalon" doesn't sound all that different from "Vox Humana," which smacked of leftover "High Adventure." But that's not necessarily a bad thing. All three of these albums were highly competent works, and if they weren't ground-breaking, they all were certainly radio-friendly. In addition to "Nobody's Fool" and "Meet Me Half Way," songs like "True Confessions," "Blue On Blue," "I'm Gonna Miss You" and the title track would have made respectable chart hits if Sony had given the album half a chance.

As good as the album is, there are a few clunkers. "Tell Her" doesn't quite come together so well as it should. Nothing against guest vocalist Merry Clayton; it's just that she's overwhelmed by the intensity of the track. Something similar happens with Michael McDonald on "She's Dangerous," where his smoky voice seems out of place next to Pat Leonard's production. McDonald and Loggins have collaborated on better songs like "This Is It" and "Heart To Heart," but even a less-than-stellar collaboration is a good song by any standard.

A must for any Kenny Loggins fan.