Only twice in our long and love-fuzzy marriage has my wife tried to cleave my skull with a broad-ax - and both times was because I was playing the "Abandoned Luncheonette" album by Hall & Oates.

Well, truth told: Daryl & Johnny have more than their share of cringe-o songs such as "Rich Girl" and that "No Can Do" abomination. At the same time, they're very good musicians and singers, and methinks Hall is a truly top-of-the-line song-crafter. You may or may not like "Maneater," "She's Gone" or "Sara Smile," but those and many more Hall tunes should be in the textbook of how a classic pop structure works. And if you've never heard "Abandoned Luncheonette" and stuff like "Lady Rain," "Last Vegas Turnaround" and "Had I Known You Better Then," you seriously owe it to yourself to do so.

H&O bring their superb band to the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods for a show on Friday.

- RICK KOSTER

Hall & Oates, 8 p.m. Friday, MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods, $35-$60, 1-800-200-2882, foxwoods.com.