Uniting Rick Springfield’s smoochiest moments on one CD certainly sounds like a great idea. However, like any collection of ballads and pop-rock nuggets this set also confirms the theory that it’s possible to have a little too much of a good thing.

‘…The Romantic…’ was compiled to celebrate RCA’s 100th anniversary. Springfield himself has also been making music since 1971, although these songs are from 1980-’87. If you can get past the sycophantic sleeve notes (which suggest that “Girls didn’t come to Rick because he was beautiful, they came because he gave them pieces of his true self”) the singer/guitarist’s formula is an extremely simple and successful one: a colourful, attractive song title (‘Calling All Girls’, ‘Love Somebody’), an unforgettable hook, and instrumental backing so tight that it has to wear a thong to avoid VPL.

It all works best on ‘Jessie’s Girl’, which, along with ‘My Best Friend’s Girl’ by the Cars, remains one of the best examinations of the age-old teenage dilemma of yearning after somebody you can’t have. That’s not a problem Springfield must face too often in real life, but ‘Souls’ and ‘The Light of Love’ sound convincing enough’

Three out of five stars

David Ling