Benny Mardones' self titled 1989 album contains a newly recorded version of "Into the Night," a ballad built around his soothing voice and a late-night piano sound, which reached number 11 on Billboard's Top 40 nine years prior. The newer single has a more seductive feel to it and actually reached number 20 on the charts in July of 1989. "Into the Night" is truly the strongest tune out of the album's ten-song assortment, which are all meek love songs backed by hollow guitar and keyboards. Songs like "I'll Be Good to You" and "How Could You Love Me" can be compared to
Jack Wagner's "All I Need" or
Glenn Frey's "The One You Love," but
Mardones' efforts carry even less merit.
Mardones' voice does come off as enchanting and smooth, carrying highs and beefing up the choruses with grace. All the ballads sound similar and could have been colored with some bulkier lyrics or even some tempo changes. ~ Mike DeGagne