If I could only own one RS album...by Anonymous

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August 17, 2000: ...this would be the one. It's stayed consistently on my playlist for 15 years--I wore out two cassettes before tracking it down on CD in 1993! To me, this album is the beginning of the leap in maturity Springfield got critical notice for with _Rock of Life_. This was where he expanded his trademark emotional power and directness into the wide range he's continued to explore in _Rock of Life_ and _Karma_. If you don't believe the man is a terribly underrated lyricist, you probably haven't paid attention to gems like ''Walking on the Edge'' or ''My Father's Chair.'' And the music complements and supports the poetry. _Tao_ is also the pinnacle of development of his 80s sound, taking effective advantage of technology and weaving some breathtaking melodic and rhythmic layers, while retaining the infectious quality of his early-80s hits. (Don't get me wrong, I love the newer albums, but they don't quite have that in the same way--the price of his continuing evolution as a composer.) Bottom line: There isn't a single track on this album that I'm even a little tired of after 15 years.

This review was written about the CD edition.