Two years after Phil Seymour's solo debut on Boardwalk, the singer/songwriter returns, penning only a couple of tunes here. He's still in stripes, this time white and black instead of black and purple, à la the first solo disc, and this time there's a double image of the artist on the cover (get it? Phil Seymour: 2). But it isn't a Dwight Twilley Band album and it is a bit anti-climactic after the greatness of the first adventure apart from the Dwight Twilley Band. Dancing a Dream has tension, but isn't as pronounced as some of the earlier record's fine moments. There's an interesting treatment of Tom Petty's Surrender and a remake of Dwight Twilley's Looking for the Magic from 1977's Twilley Don't Mind LP. The "because a photograph is like an hourglass out of time" line doesn't get delivered with the almost-Cars-rocking subtleties of the original; the tune is softened up a bit on an album that is looking for the magic and trying to get the feeling again. It's tough to follow in the footsteps of greatness, even when the greatness is your own, but Phil Seymour at three-fourths power is still better than most who try to manufacture pop perfection and fall short. Talk to Me leads off side two, and the begging command is one of the album's finer moments. You Give Good Love is another winner, but for some reason the production seems more processed. Richard Podolor and engineer Bill Cooper had Val Garay do the mix, unlike the first LP where Podolor and Cooper oversaw everything, and perhaps that's part of the problem. The material also doesn't have the charm found on the 1980 Phil Seymour disc. The singer's own Better to Me Than You, with its multiple guitars, is another highlight; it just seems that with the time between this and the last effort, those involved could have come up with more nuggets -- maybe some Flamin' Groovies or Jackie DeShannon material to augment what works. Despite a few flaws, power pop fans as well as the Dwight Twilley minions still need this to complete the collection. ~ Joe Viglione, Rovi

1		Love Reciever
2		Don't Let Daddy Find Out
3		Dancing a Dream
4		Surrender
5		Looking for the Magic
6		Talk to Me
7		You Give Good Love
8		Suffering
9		Better to Me Than You
10		Tear up the Night

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