Dance Into the Light

After Both Sides, Phil Collins stepped back into the great wide open with the aptly titled Dance into the Light. Though the album is sunnier than its predecessor, it refuses to rehash the strategies that drove Collins’ iconic '80s hits. Instead of R&B, there are the jangly echoes of '60s heroes like The Byrds and The Beatles (“That’s What You Said,” “It’s Your Eyes,” “Love Police”) and more prominently, the skittering and joyful rhythms of South African highlife. Aside from Paul Simon's work, Collins' songs “Lorenzo,” “Wear My Hat," and “Take Me Down” are among the most successful attempts by a Western artist to incorporate African rhythms into mainstream pop music. Collins can pull it off for two reasons. First, his music has always been driven by an irrepressible rhythmic energy, which is intrinsic to the African styles he adopts. Second, he has a natural feel for momentousness. He can carry songs that unlock a forward-thinking positivity in his audience. That ability propels his version of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” There's no irony or bitterness in the performance; it displays a surging belief in collective uplift.