LONG ROAD OUT OF EDN

Personnel: Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Don Henley (vocals, guitar, drums, percussion); Timothy B. Schmit (vocals); Steuart Smith (guitar, mandolin, keyboards); Al Garth (violin, alto saxophone); Chris Mostert (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Bill Armstrong (trumpet); Richard F.W. Davis (keyboards, programming); Willie Hollis (keyboards); Scott Crago (drums, percussion); Luis Conti, Lenny Castro (percussion). Audio Mixer: Elliot Scheiner. Photographer: Olaf Heine. As the first full studio album in 28 years by one of the most successful bands of all time, the Eagles' LONG ROAD OUT OF EDEN was the very definition of the term "highly anticipated." Making it even more newsworthy at the outset was the fact that EDEN was initially available only through the Wal-Mart chain. All this extra-musical publicity may have detracted from the music itself, though; in the end, the album pretty much picks up where the band left off on the new songs they recorded for their 1994 live album HELL FREEZES OVER. It takes their basic country-rock template and gives it a slight production update, resulting in an album that still sounds very much like the group fans know and love, but does not seem stuck in the '70s. With Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Glenn Frey, and Timothy B. Schmidt all contributing, there's plenty of vintage Eagles feel here, as on the single "How Long," which could have come straight off 1979's THE LONG RUN, but the subtle addition of modern production techniques, not to mention the still-vital compositional powers of the band, keeps things solidly out of nostalgia territory. Perhaps most striking is the degree to which the Eagles, essentially a "rock" band in their heyday, suddenly fit in perfectly with contemporary country. That's not the sound of the Eagles changing--it's just Nashville catching up.