Taking its cue from
Madonna's ballad collection
Something to Remember,
Rod Stewart's
If We Fall in Love Tonight combines several of his biggest ballads with three new songs.
If We Fall in Love Tonight is targeted directly toward an older, adult contemporary audience who no longer wants to hear
Stewart's harder-edged material. Which means that not only is "Maggie May" not included, but neither is "This Old Heart of Mine," since both are a bit too uptempo for this collection. Instead, the album is nothing but ballads, going back as far as "Tonight's the Night," "The First Cut Is the Deepest," "I Don't Want to Talk About It," and "You're in My Heart," but concentrating on '80s and '90s hits like "Downtown Train," "All for Love," "My Heart Can't Tell You No," "Have I Told You Lately," and "Broken Arrow." The compilation also contains rarities like the
Sting and Bryan Adams collaboration "All for Love" and the
Carole King cover "So Far Away," a new version of "Forever Young," a cover of
Leo Sayer's "When I Need You," the
James Newton Howard song "For the First Time," and the
Jimmy Jam and
Terry Lewis collaboration "If We Fall in Love Tonight." The new songs are good adult contemporary radio fodder, yet they pale next to his classic '70s cuts. Nevertheless,
If We Fall in Love Tonight is a very enjoyable soft rock collection. It may not draw an accurate portrait of
Stewart's career, but it does offer a good overview of his soft rock hits. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine