This is not my favorite Barry CD. (I have a respectable collection.) This is a good CD, with 14 tracks, many I've never heard before. It has been digitally remastered from the original 1978 release. Song quality is great. Total album time is a wee bit over 48 minutes. There is a booklet included, with the words of most of the songs, so you can sing along if you want to.

There are classic versions of the Barry classics: "Copacabana" runs a tad shy of 6 minutes. The subtle-sexy "Somewhere in the Night" is included "..lovin' so warm, movin' so right, closin' our eyes, and feelin' the light.." (I LOVE that song). "Even Now" and "Can't Smile Without You" are also included in their familiar versions.

"A Linda Song" and "No Love for Jenny" are not included on many albums, but are included here. They are good songs, just sad songs. I do like the beat in "Leavin' in the Mornin'" even though that's a bit sad too. "I Was a Fool to Let You Go" is kind of almost a blues. I like "I Just Want to be the One in Your Life" a lot. The others are all good songs: "Sunrise; I'm Comin' Home Again; Where Do I Go From Here; and Losing Touch."

I love everything Barry does. With that said, the album is mainly "slow songs" and some of it is a bit sad for my taste. Not to say there is anything wrong with that. Some people need to sort of vent their own experiences through sad songs, so they can release the grief or sadness they are holding within themselves. Sad songs have a definitive purpose. You NEVER want to hold on to grief, anger, sadness, etc. They will make you ill.

With that said, for me, I prefer more upbeat songs overall, but this is still a great album.

CD arrived very quickly. Packaging was beautiful. I was very satisfied with this transaction.

Luis Mejia - Even now is an album of top priority in the Barry Manilow catalogue; if not the most essential. It marked another group of top charting, excellently produced hit songs of gold radio potential and delightful beauty; it's even hard to forget the tunes of the hits in Even Now. "Copacabana (At The Copa)" got us initiated into that catchy, discoish flavor Manilow delivered full of energy and charisma, and maybe today his only song any person could identify easily just because of the unforgetable beat. The passionate arise of "Somewhere In The Night" gets as soothing as could be, along with the beautiful "Can't Smile Without You" (another top hit), a song you could think about any cared family member along with the lyrics. "Even Now" is the signature pop song by excellence, the sadness, the piano, the emotion made this song the special outfit for Manilow. For those above the hits, and for those who can spot anything else than the masterpieces in this album we get to "Where Do I Go From Here", written by the same lyricist of England Dan & John Ford Coley, a certainly tearful delivery. Sadly, it's hard to give the same resemblance for the rest of the songs; they get there but the emotion found on the first half seem to melt down on the second. Even for "A Linda Song" and "Leavin' In The Morning" it's hard to remember them, although I believe A Linda Song could have been written for the Linda Barry Manilow generally thanks on his albums (correct me if I'm wrong). "I Just Wanna Be The One In Your Life" has a chorus difficult to forget, and both "Loosing Touch" and "Starting Again" deliver interesting arises and turns and twists along both the music and the lyrics but nothing too notorious. For instance this is one of Barry Manilow's bests and most memorable records of his career.

This is arguably Barry's best album. It's certainly one of my favorites. It is pop craftmanship at its finest. I absolutely adore this album. From the great Copacabana (yes, it's a great song), to the heartwarming, uplifting Sunrise, there's not one false note in the whole thing. Many critics trash Barry for being overly sentimental and positive, but this album has its share of heartbreak and pain. The title track and the very underrated song Starting Again (one of my personal favorites on the album) cover this territory very well. I recently played Starting Again for a friend of mine, and she commented "wow, that was dark.". Barry rarely gets credit for his art. He co-wrote many of his hits (including Copacabana), and he is the consumate showman, still selling out concerts today. He is not an airheaded pretty boy like a lot of critics tend to paint him as.

As Manilow's music goes, his fifth studio release, "Even Now" tops them all. I grew up on Manilow. Both of my parents were fans, so between Dad, Mom and myself, we owned his entire collection up through 1983. I also was a pianist taking lessons from the Eastern WA University professor. Instead of practicing as I should have, I spent many a weekend working out Manilow's tunes - some at Dad's request, some of my own choosing.

Having said this, I became well acquainted with his albums and after 20+ years, "Even Now" is still as fresh as it was when I first heard it in high school. It released four hits ("Copacabana," "Even Now," "Somewhere In The Night," and "Can't Smile Without You") and Manilow won a Grammy for "Copa." Each song is a work of craftsmanship, with memorable melodies and phenemonal orchestration. Manilow's vocals are strong and display his wide range. There is much variety on this album, from disco to his typical power ballads, to just he and the piano.

Manilow has gotten a lot of bad press over the years from his overly-sentimental (sappy) love songs. If one listens to this album in its entirety, one will discover that this is just not the case. To really understand his style, this album is a good starting point. Listen to it and you'll discover a wealth of top-quality music.