Kihntinued

Following up his 1981 breakthrough album, Rockihnroll, 1982's Kihntinued showed that Greg Kihn had run out of neither catchy, no-nonsense rock 'n' roll tunes nor cheeky puns on his last name. His all-American sound somehow managed to be "heartland rock" without getting particularly rootsy and entered power pop territory without veering into new wave; this was no mean feat in the early '80s. On the album's hits, "Testify" and "Happy Man," Kihn comes off as the likable next-door neighbor who happens to have a clutch of resonant riffs and earworm pop hooks. His long-established knack for cover tunes is reiterated with a jubilant interpretation of Jackie Wilson's '60s R&B hit "Higher and Higher." With "Tell Me Lies" and "Sound System," he doubles up on his practice of sneaking a reggae tune onto almost every album. And on the steady-grooving "Every Love Song," Kihn displays the funky side that would soon earn him his biggest hit ever (1983's hip-swaying "Jeopardy").