‘I’ve been good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory,’ sings Rick Springfield on ‘It’s Always Something/’ He might be right, too. For it anyone seemed to have it all on a plate during the ‘80s, it was this Australian-born actor and musician, who, through a series of excellent pop-rock albums like ‘Living in Oz,’ forged himself a nice little niche as an exponent of quality AOR. Few can fail to think of the ‘80s without thinking of ‘Jessie’s Girl,’ Springfield’s major hit.

Now he’s back, after a decade spent dealing with depression and appearing in US TV movies. It’s been 12 years since ‘Rock of Life,’ his last studio record (although he did surface in Sahara Snow, a one-off project with Bob Marlette in 1997), and although the years seem to have mellowed him somewhat, Springfield’s songwriting on ‘Karma’ is quite fantastic. It is a deep and thoughtful record, possibly due to the intervening years, but also uplifting and full of hope, which is good news for Springfield fans.

Some fine guitar work leads the title track and the more up-tempo numbers such as the excellent ‘The White Room’; meanwhile when Springfield takes it down a few notches – the brooding ‘Shock to the System’ – he almost comes across like Richard Marx on a good day.

Unlike Styx, Springfield’s return is a class act. He has lost neither his great voice, nor his knack of penning songs that may be highly catchy, but never throwaway. If, as we’ve been led to believe, the US is currently smitten once more with it’s ‘80s rock heroes, then on this showing Springfield must be one of the most popular draws.

With ‘Karma’, victory is definitely assured.

Jerry Ewing – Classic Rock