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Album Review: In general, most of the music done by Huey Lewis and the News in their heyday was reflective of a good-time, rock-n-roll bar band—albeit a very good bar band. On 1983's Sports, their third album, they temporarily rose above the din of the clinking glasses and chattering drunks to produce a number of top-notch pop songs, five of which became huge hits for the boys. The super-set on Sports propelled Huey Lewis and the News to
stardom, however short-lived it was destined to be. "The Heart Of Rock & Roll" launched the hit parade, with four more toppers to follow: "If This Is It," "Heart And Soul," "I Want A New Drug" and "Walking On A Thin Line." All were solid songs and memorable in their own right, but it's fair to say that the first three—"The Heart Of Rock
& Roll," "If This Is It," "Heart And Soul"—stand out because of their fresh, infectious melodies and rhythms. It had been a sharp climb for Huey Lewis and the News to get to this creative pinnacle, and the descent from there would be nearly as precipitous (though somewhat cushioned by the lucrative earnings brought by temporary fame). But it is far
better to have had your 15 minutes of fame and end up with songs that remain eminently listenable decades later than to never have done anything "peakworthy" at all. The songs from Sports will live on, and deservedly so.
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