In the long line of artists who have released tribute albums to their musical heroes or inspirations comes a legend in his own right, Eddie Money. Appropriately titled “WANNA GO BACK,” the “Money-man’s latest release compiles an assortment of classic hits (mostly from the 60’s) and includes remakes of songs by such legendary artists as Ray Charles, THE YOUNG RASCALS, Mitch Ryder, THE FOUNDATIONS and James Brown.

Now in most cases, I have found releases like this a bit trivial. I see it almost as a cop out for artists looking to quickly fill an album slot in their record company contracts and/ or an excuse not to try and write any new material, but in this case I’ll make an exception. I mean after over three decades in the music business, twenty-six top 100 songs, numerous multi-platinum albums and world-wide fame and success, what else does Eddie Money have to prove? Besides, I found most of the selections not only fun and familiar but also just simply enjoyable to hear done with the addition of that typical Eddie Money flair.

“WANNA GO BACK” starts off with one of my all-time favorite classics in “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” While the arrangement doesn’t wander far from the original (recorded by the late Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell), the addition of Eddie’s daughter Jesse taking over as the second half to this duet really breathes some fresh life into this timeless classic which has been beaten over the rocks by so many artists since its release.

Another up-beat rendition of the 1967 Jackie Wilson hit “Higher & Higher” comes next followed shortly by a very soulful rendition of Ray Charles’ “You Don’t Know Me.” While it can’t exactly capture all the feeling and emotion of the original, Eddie does an affective job putting his own heart and soul into this ageless ballad.

Continuing on, “WANNA GO BACK” finds Eddie pumping out other such 60’s radio hits like THE FOUNDATIONS “Baby, Now That I Found You,” a really fun version of THE YOUNG RASCALS “Good Lovin’,” the 1966 hit by THE SOUL SURVIVORS “Expressway To Your Heart” (another rendition of which was made popular by THE BLUES BROTHERS in the early 80’s) and a little more obscure classic by Mitch Ryder entitled “Jenny Take A Ride.”

The original version of “Build Me Up, Buttercup” by THE FOUNDATIONS was revived a few short years ago as the closing theme to the blockbuster movie There’s Something About Mary and I really found Eddie’s version just as vibrant and playful as the original. Then comes “Land Of A Thousand Dances” originally recorded by Chris Kenner back in 1962 but didn’t become popular until the addition of it’s famous “Naa Na Na Na Naa” hook added by CANNIBAL & THE HEADHUNTERS in 1965 and then re-recorded by the legendary Wilson Pickett in 1966. Again, Eddie does a good job with this one but it just seemed a little toned-down from the more popular, sped-up versions.

Jesse Money once again steps up to take a more prominent role in the next two tracks, Sam & Dave’s “Hold On I’m Comin’” and Inez & Charlie Foxx’s “Mockingbird. While I found “Hold On I’m Comin’” a tasteful and flavorful version of the original, the arrangement chosen for “Mockingbird” just didn’t do it for me and I found myself skipping over the track more often than not when I was first listening to the CD. And finally rounding off “WANNA GO BACK” is a less than thrilling James Brown medley titled “Please Please Please/ Baby Don’t You Weep.” With all the up-beat classic James Brown tunes to choose from, I just found myself wondering why you wouldn’t want to end the CD on a bit of a higher more up-tempo note instead of this slower, bluesier medley.

While I wouldn’t put it in my top 10 Eddie Money releases of all time, “WANNA GO BACK” can be a fun, nostalgic journey through the past and provides some nice hooks that only the “Money-man” can deliver… however, I must admit that it does seem to fall off a bit towards the end. But songs like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Build Me Up, Buttercup,” “Expressway To Your Heart” and “You Don’t Know Me” make “WANNA GO BACK” well worth a spin in your CD player.