Following the same formula as
Atlantic Crossing
and
A Night on the Town
, but not explicitly breaking the record into fast and slow sides,
Foot Loose & Fancy Free
was a limp effort from an increasingly complacent
Rod Stewart
. With the exception of the dumb, sleazy
"Hot Legs,"
none of the rockers are discernible from each other, and this time he doesn't have a strong set of
ballads
to save him. The affectionately sappy acoustic
ballad
"You're in My Heart"
was the big hit, but
Stewart
sounds completely convincing only on
"I Was Only Joking."
Coming at the end of the album, the song seems like a justification for the uninspired, by-the-book record that preceded it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine