Fierce Heart
	Produced by Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi
	Released on January 1983
	US CHART POSITION #91
	Find it at GEMM
80059-1 cover [high resolution photo]

W ell, apparently, there�s hope for all of us in this dim, inhospitable dustbowl of a universe. I�ve wondered what purpose a Jim Capaldi solo career had to serve (other than self-grandeur) and here�s my answer: Fierce Heart. Coproduced by Steve Winwood, this has many of the earmarks of a Winwood affair: bouncy synthesizers, fleshed-out arrangements without the fat, and a genuine desire not to succumb to DIY mediocrity. The record featured two, count them, two hits: �That�s Love� and �Living On The Edge.� The backing band is also first-rate, featuring Van Morrison (!) playing acoustic guitar on one track, John Mizarolli on another, and such peripheral prog figures as Pete Bonas and Mel Collins. There�s something reassuring in the knowledge that Capaldi, at risk of being relegated to hapless has-been with a series of UK-only releases, could pull himself up by his bootstraps (so to speak) and record an album that felt like the whole world depended on it. At a time when the boogaloo bandits were walking through their careers, Capaldi runs through nine tracks with genuine gusto, putting his career back on track in the bargain. Whether it�s the Springsteen soundalike (I had originally typed �Springsteenesque� and a cold shudder down my back made me change it) �Runaway� or the Christopher Crossed �Back At My Place� (find Waldo in the vinyl), Capaldi makes the best of every setting. It�s not a modern-sounding record any more than Arc of a Diver; rather, it�s a case of clarity that makes Fierce Heart a winner. Whale Meat Again was murky, Electric Nights misguided, but this is smart and soulful stuff. If Winwood is your cup of tea, Fierce Heart is your capaldi. And that�s no bull. (You see, the cover has a picture of a bull on it and... eh, nevermind.)

80059-1 back cover	80059-1 lyric sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. TONIGHT YOU'RE MINE    (Jim Capaldi)    4:08
2. LIVING ON THE EDGE    (Jim Capaldi)    4:40
3. BAD BREAKS    (Jim Capaldi/William Ennes)    3:06
4. RUNAWAY    (Jim Capaldi/Solution)    3:19
5. BACK AT MY PLACE    (Jim Capaldi)    3:06
6. THAT'S LOVE    (Jim Capaldi)    3:36
7. I'LL ALWAYS BE YOUR FOOL    (Jim Capaldi)    3:46
8. DON'T LET THEM CONTROL YOU    (Jim Capaldi/Macau)    5:08
9. GIFTS OF UNKNOWN THINGS    (Jim Capaldi)    5:32

CREDITS

JIM CAPALDI -- vocals, drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, Linn drum programming, piano, glockenspiel
STEVE WINWOOD -- electric guitars, synthesizers, guitars, guitar solo, vocals, organ, piano, Linn drum programming, incidental marimba, arrangements, engineer
Ray Otu Allen -- congas, percussion
Simon Bell -- burning man (7)
Pete Bonas -- guitar, bass, acoustic guitar, Ovation guitar
Mel Collins -- saxophone, saxophone solo
Geoff Driscoll -- saxophone (8)
Martin Drover -- trumpet (8)
Brent Forbes -- bass
Bryson Graham -- drums
Stevie Lange -- burning woman (7)
Jim Leverton -- bass (9)
John Mizarolli -- acoustic guitar lead (5)
Van Morrison -- acoustic guitar (1)
Chris Parren -- keyboards, synthesizers
Nicole Winwood -- vocals (6)
Phil Bodger -- engineer
Dave Belotti -- engineer
John Etchells -- engineer
Keith Fernley -- engineer
Mark Freegard -- engineer
Nobby -- engineer
Tom O'Leary -- engineer
John Walls -- engineer
Graham Watts -- engineer
Waring Abbott -- photo
Rocking Russian -- design

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