by Jimmy JamesIt's About Time is about what you'd expect from a generic Kenny Loggins record: plenty of romantic and optimistic, feel-good songwriting; varied musical textures; and an almost determinedly mainstream adult contemporary rock sound. Some high-profile friends help out in the presence of Michael McDonald, Richard Marx, and Clint Black, all of whom co-write some of the tunes and also make occasional instrumental and vocal contributions. What this, his first studio record in about half a dozen years, lacks are memorable songs, or much of anything to distinguish it from much of what's played on the most commercial radio stations aiming for a middle-aged and middle-of-the-road demographic. Some of it's brassy and upbeat, as he pulls out the white-soul aspect of his vocals on numbers like "It's About Time" and "The Undeniable Groove," though the lyrics are sentimental in an "up with people" and "here's to life" sort of way. Soft rock and ballads are well-represented, however, in the likes of "The One That Got Away," "I Miss Us," and "No Other Voice," and country music asserts itself as an influence in the Loggins-Black collaboration "Alive 'N' Kickin'."