After spending the 1980s moving in an increasingly
pop-friendly direction, 1991's
We Can't Dance marked a return to earlier aesthetics for
Genesis. Edgier with more prominent guitars and live drums than on
Invisible Touch, the record was the band's strongest musical statement in over a decade. With
"Driving the Last Spike" and the dark
"Dreaming While You Sleep" the group revisited one of their forgotten strengths, telling extended stories. That's not to say the album is a return to
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway or
Trick of the Tail. Indeed, while there are several extended pieces on the record, there is none of the eccentricities, odd meters, or extended virtuoso solos of the band's progressive heyday. The album's closer,
"Fading Lights," comes the closest, featuring an outstanding instrumental mid-section. Unfortunately, the record also contains some gutless
ballads and paeans for world understanding that sound miles away from any immediacy. However, the surprisingly gritty singles
"No Son of Mine," "Jesus He Knows Me," and
"I Can't Dance" help make up for the album's weaker moments. ~ Geoff Orens