My Amazon Reviews: The Cars "Move Like This"

Restore, Remake, Remodel  
4 Out Of 5 Stars

You know how you always hear stories about some guy who buys an incredible automotive machine, drives it for a spell and then parks it in the garage? It sits there, under a tarp or other covering, the tarp coated with dirt and pigeon feathers, but the machine itself remaining clean and protected underneath. Time may still cause it bit of damage, but when the old man moves on and either sells or gives his baby to a trusted friend, that friend pulls it out from under the dirt and crud, tunes it up a bit, and drives it off almost as good as it was when the old man first bought it.

That is exactly how "Move Like This," the first all-new Cars album since 1987's "Door To Door," feels. Ric Ocasek, after years of being a record exec, in demand producer and occasional guest on The Colbert Report, finally agreed with bandmates to get together and record again after being the holdout from "The New Cars" project. Given that it was always his clipped manner of singing and often oblique lyrics that defined much of The Cars' best material, his presence makes "Move Like This" sound like the band that released such classics as "Candy O," "Heartbeat City" and the debut album. The lead track, "Blue Tip" rivals anything from those albums, and has a video that compares to the great clips from "Heartbeat City."

The really cool thing about "Move Like This" is just how natural the album sounds. The songs, for the most part, sound easy and unforced as opposed to a band desperately trying to recreate their glory days. Songs like "Hits Me" and "Sad Song" come off as if they were part of a lost 80's album, with Greg Hawkes' keyboards adding that atmospheric cushion and Elliot Easton dropping razor sharp guitar. But as I used in the earlier analogy, not everything is the same as it was in 1987.

The passing of bassist and vocalist Ben Orr in 2000 takes a little of the smooth ride away from The Cars and, despite their best efforts, is still a noticeable absence. His voice was the one The Cars used to carry their ballads (their biggest hit, "Drive," being the most famous example) and was an integral part of the band's unique harmonies. Orr's voice would have made the song "Free" into a Cars Ballad, where Ocasek can't quite do it. Still, the band puts in the liner notes "Ben, your spirit was with us" and "Move Like This" shows it. Shiny, smooth and purring like a classic, this is The Cars reunion we were waiting for.