Richard Marx

by Stephen Thomas ErlewineRichard Marx's self-titled debut album was a finely crafted record of mainstream pop/rock. Marx understood how the melodies of up-tempo rockers like "Don't Mean Nothin'" are driven by thick power chords, and how arrangements are as important as melody in ballads like "Hold On to the Nights." Filled with carefully constructed radio-ready tracks, it was no surprise that the album became a huge hit.