“Somewhere Down the Line”
T.G. Sheppard
Written by Lewis Anderson and Casey Kelly
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
July 27, 1984
I can’t give enough credit to Jim Ed Norman as a producer for T.G. Sheppard.
Sheppard returns to a somewhat lascivious lyric, though this time he’s wishcasting for an affair that may or may not happen:
There’s no use in pretending
How this night will be ending
You’ll be leaving together
I’ll go home alone
But my heart tells me that some day soon
We’ll make up for the time we missed
You’ll be waiting in the dark somewhere
For a love that you can’t resist
Yet he doesn’t come off as a heel, and you could be lulled into thinking that he’s really hoping for a happily ever after down the line, even if it starts with a clandestine tumble in the dark.
Norman coaxes more nuanced performances out of Sheppard, and his records are far more listenable because of it.
Alas, this is the final chart topper we’ll see from Sheppard until 1986, when he earns his final No. 1 hit with another producer at the helm.
“Somewhere Down the Line” gets a B.
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Sheppard’s singing here finally services the songs and the lyrics. He is also supported by production that doesn’t get in the way.
When his sleaze factor drops, however, he loses his groove and musical punch. He settles uncomfortably into this middle-ground of mid-tempo meh.
He is far more likeable but his music is far less interesting.