Despite unstable line-ups, UK rockers Shy have bravely soldiered on, sporadically releasing albums since 1983.  Their career peak was arguably in the second half of that decade when their albums ‘Excess All Areas’ and ‘Misspent Youth’ gained the a fair amount of press attention, if not the commercial breakthrough the band deserved.  Over the years, Shy’s best known vocalist Tony Mills has quit the band twice (his time elsewhere yielding a short-lived power metal band named Siam and the release of various solo albums).

This self-titled disc represents yet another beginning of sorts for the band.  Tony Mills is not on board, having found a job fronting Norwegian hard rock outfit TNT.  In his place is Lee Small, previously of Phenomena.  While this 2011 release marks Small’s debut on a Shy disc, he has worked with the band previously, having performed at live shows in 2009.  He doesn’t always have the banshee wail and range offered by Mills, but all things considered he does a great job.  Actually, since the top end of Mills’s range can be a little hard to take, in some respects, he does a better job.

‘Land of a Thousand Lies’ opens with a huge, pompy intro – all synth strings and cinematic moments, like ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ played by an 80s hard rock band – so Shy arrive in very much an on form manner.  By the time the guitars crash in they settle on a rock-solid mid paced groove. Guitarist Steve Harris’s playing have some decent bottom end, over which Lee Small proves himself worthy of the task in hand.  His voice is clear and strong, with the range on show being more than worthy of the epic style music.  In addition to bombast and pomp, there’s a memorable chorus thrown into the mix and a couple of top-notch solos – straddling an eastern influenced widdle and classic rock playing.  By the time these five and a half minutes have wound up, there’s a strong sense that the rejuvenated Shy mean business.

‘Blood on the Line’ is a great punchy rocker, where the lead guitar fills are spot-on.  Another strong chorus showcases Shy’s strengths, while a bridge section leading into the featured solo has all the hallmarks of AOR’s glory days.  While the lead elements are crisp, there’s a little muddiness with regard to the rhythm guitar work, but not enough to spoil the good work laid down here.  Taking things up a notch farther, ‘So Many Tears’ captures Shy at full-pelt, with maximum rock posturing and hard rock riffing very much the order of the day.  It’s not as strong as ‘Land of a Thousand Lies’ or ‘Blood on the Line’, but in terms of old school rock thrills, it still delivers.  This is a number with a lack of subtlety – particularly with regard to the excellent guitar solos.  By the end of the number, the whole band are tearing it up and there’s barely room to breathe, but somehow, Joe Basketts still manage to shoehorn in a line of pompy keyboards – and he’s still toying with that cinematic style, as heard on the opener.

The rockers are great enough, but it’s when Shy lean towards the more obviously melodic they really come into their own.  For chorus and all round melody, ‘Ran Out of Time’ is a brilliant number.  While Shy hang on to a little of their pompiness, the chorus is rooted in the AOR tradition with its superb hook rounded out by a strong backing vocal.  There’s something about it that suggests it could have found a home amongst the more metallic moments of Gary Moore’s ‘Run For Cover’ or the Hughes/Thrall album, though this probably has a great deal to with Small’s vocal inflections which recall Glenn Hughes in the 80s.  A similar kind of AOR mood cuts through ‘Over You’, but if anything, it’s even better.  The band take a great chorus and give it a rousing send off, with some staccato guitar lines and a classy vocal arrangement.  In terms of ideas, it’s certainly tried and tested – and by AOR bands in their hundreds – but when it works, it works.  And when it works this well, why change it?  ‘Save Me’ is loaded with great 80s style keyboards and vibrato filled guitar leads.  There’s another instantly memorable chorus here and Small’s lead vocal has a real presence, but despite being a stand-out number (and featuring some wonderful lead guitar work, once again) it doesn’t quite match ‘Over You’ for absolute AOR greatness.

The near eight minute epic ‘Sanctuary’ tries too hard to make an impression with a huge keyboard intro, sampled voices and some uber-pomp throughout, and as such, is possibly among the album’s weaker cuts.  It’s slightly bloated nature isn’t unsuited to Shy – and probably keeps the opener in good company – but the big production and even bigger performance doesn’t escape the fact that Shy are always at their strongest when not trying quite so hard, even though they’re great musicians.  There are some reasonable solo spots throughout, but nothing which’ll keep you coming back as often as those pure AOR choruses on the likes of ‘Over You’ and ‘Ran Out of Time’.

Tony Mills may not be around, but Shy still have plenty of well-crafted songs up their collective sleeves.  They aren’t attempting to change the world here, but why should they try?  Shy set out to bring you good, old fashioned hard rock on this self-titled release, and strong playing and stronger choruses are on hand throughout to make sure it hits the spot.  While the brand of hard rock is of the 1989 variety as opposed to the more common/popular sounds of 2011, this album is certainly none the worse for that.  It’s not perfect, by any means, but definitely highly recommended.

October 2011

As one of the legendary melodic rock bands, Night Ranger’s back catalogue has more than its share of great moments. Even their ‘Feeding Off The Mojo’ disc from 1995 has more than enough to recommend it, even though the band themselves no longer seem to consider it part of their official back catalogue. 2011’s ‘Somewhere In California’ doesn’t match early classics like ‘Dawn Patrol’ or ‘Midnight Madness’, but compared to parts of 1998’s ‘Seven’ and its successor ‘Hole In The Sun’ (delivered some ten years later), it definitely has a more traditional Night Ranger feel on many of its tracks.

‘Growin’ Up In California’ opens with a staccato riff which gives way to a brief twin lead. Once the track kicks in, against a more 21st Century Night Ranger sound, there are moments which hark back to the past, more so than in a long while. Although heavily filtered (perhaps unnecessarily), the vocals recall classic Night Ranger, but it’s Eric Levy’s ugly synth sounds which are the real clincher. They have the same sound that Alan “Fitz” Fitgerald bought to the first couple of albums (most notably ‘You Can Still Rock In America’ from 1983’s ‘Midnight Madness’). Those keyboard sounds alone are enough to suggest Night Ranger are seeking to recapture some of their early spirit. The hard chug which dominates ‘Lay It On Me’ – coupled with a sneering vocal which sounds like something Jack Blades wrote for Aerosmith – mightn’t be greeted with open arms by all fans (‘Hole In The Sun’ was derided for being too “modern”), but a huge “whoah” on its chorus may redress some balance. It’s a shame that beyond such a promising “whoah”, the chorus itself falls a little short. The featured solo, however, is a corker; more notes and flash than melodic space filler, but even so the playing is superb. ‘Bye Bye Baby’ moves away from chugging rock and delivers something else in the classic melodic rock mould, it’s essence very old-school Night Ranger. The keyboards and guitars have almost equal space in the mix at times, while the vocals shared between Blades and Kelly Keagy are very pleasing throughout. The chorus is where the real greatness comes, though; it’s melodic, it’s simple and infectious – everything you’re looking for from this brand of tuneful hard rock.

Just when you think ‘Somewhere In California’ could be pandering a little too much to Night Ranger’s rock tendencies, ‘Time of Our Lives’ redresses some balance. Night Ranger were known for their big ballads early in their career, and although ‘Time of Our Lives’ doesn’t hit the heights of ‘When You Close Your Eyes’ or ‘Sister Christian’, it’s solid enough. Appearing in the slot which traditionally would have closed an 80s Night Ranger vinyl, it’s a number with a soaring quality, full of great harmony vocals. The lead vocal is a little scratchy in places, but the harmonies make up for that. A definite high point, ‘Live For Today’ melds classic rock and psychedelic elements in a way which would make Kings X proud. This isn’t new for Night Ranger, of course, since Blades has often shown a fondness for fuzzy retro cool; but with its multi-tracked guitars and keyboards fleshing out the sound on this track, he’s rarely captured the mood as well as he does here. On the flip side, a great guitar solo aside, ‘Rock N’ Roll Tonite’ is a horrible embarrassment. Lyrically full of clichéd rubbish, Jack Blades steers everyone through a stomping rocker which tries too hard to create an unnecessary party atmosphere. The least said about it the better.

‘It’s Not Over’ is a number where the spirit of old Night Ranger comes through the absolute strongest. While the production gives things a slightly tougher edge, the overall feel of the song is very 80s. The chorus is incredibly strong – harmonies all present and correct – and the guitar leads exchanged between Brad Gillis and Joel Hoekstra are spot on. ‘No Time To Lose Ya’ indulges the band’s more melodic qualities also, with a punchy rocker which has all the hallmarks of classic AOR. A strong chorus a great arrangement are boosted by a superb lead guitar break which mostly focuses on twin lead work, though naturally, Hoekstra can’t resist throwing in a neat twiddle at the end…Alongside ‘Bye Bye Baby’ it’s a number which represents the 2011 Night Ranger in their most natural way. The end of the track, in particular, with its huge vocals and soloing underpinned by solid rhythm work shows why Night Ranger have always been so highly regarded.

‘Somewhere In California’ is the best Night Ranger album since 1988’s ‘Man In Motion’. Those who’ve been disappointed with the band’s harder sound over the previous couple of releases should certainly give it a listen. Although there are still a few harder rock tendencies creeping in here and there – particularly during the album’s first half – older, more dyed-in-wool AOR/Night Ranger fans should find enough consolation for the band’s supposed former misfires here.

June 2011

Although a relative late-comer to the fold, vocalist Steve Perry will always be synonymous with the classic Journey sound, having performed on all of the band’s hits and classic albums, from 1978 to 1996. After Perry’s departure, the band enlisted former Tall Stories/Tyketto frontman Steve Augeri to take over the role of vocalist. His work on 2001’s ‘Arrival’ was stellar but it did not last, with 2002’s ‘Red 13’ EP possibly being the worst thing in the Journey back catalogue to date. Augeri also appeared on the 2005 album ‘Generations’ but by then, in the UK at least, it seemed to be only the hardcore fans who were taking notice.

Augeri subsequently left Journey in 2006 and the legendary Jeff Scott Soto was hired to fill in the vacant position, a role he held until 2007 when Arnel Pineda took on the role of vocalist permanently. The resulting album (‘Revelation’, released in the same year; eventually becoming a platinum certified seller in the US) featured lots of the Journey magic which had been missing for the previous few years. However, Pineda has been accused of being a Perry clone and listening to ‘Revelation’, it’s easy to see why. The album even included a bonus disc of re-recorded classic Journey hits, with Pineda absolutely nailing the performances throughout.

Journey’s 2011 release (and second with Pineda upfront) is not ‘Revelation Part II’. For the most part, it represents Journey’s rockiest instincts; the side of Journey rarely heard on their more popular cuts. The opening number ‘City of Hope’ makes this abundantly clear as the band lay down a meaty arrangement over a brilliant ringing, circular guitar riff from guitarist Neal Schon. While heavy by Journey’s standards, it still has plenty of melody too, particularly on a harmony-fulled chorus, which despite the hard rock nature, sounds very much like a Journey chorus. Also, between the huge riffs, Deen Castronovo’s hard rock drumming and Ross Valory’s bottom end bass work, there’s still room in the mix for Jonathan Cain’s piano to cut through. At over six minutes, it’s a bit of an epic workout (as is a good proportion of this album), but nothing feels like padding. By the time Schon breaks into a guitar solo near the end, it’s a track which, frankly, rocks like a bastard. ‘Edge of the Moment’ is similarly hard edged, with some of Schon’s riffing holding a fair amount of power, but song-wise it’s not as appealing, since in places it feels a little chuggy for the sake of it. Despite this, Arnel Pineda is in particularly good voice, having found the confidence to sound like more his own man as opposed to a Steve Perry impersonator, and the chorus is another melodic high point.

‘Chain of Love’ hints at atmospherics with a piano intro, reverbed guitar sounds and a strong vocal performance, but then reverts to similar hard rock thrills as offered by the pair of opening cuts. This time though, Schon’s riff takes a slightly Eastern route with its approach, although probably more Lenny Wolf’s Kingdom Come than Led Zeppelin’s ‘Kashmir’. Journey should be commended with their ability to meld this into a full scale, harmony-driven chorus though, which sounds a little unexpected after such a pompous verse.

‘Eclipse’ may be harder than most Journey releases, but it’s not all bluster. ‘Tantra’, one of a few softer numbers, is a great showcase for Jonathan Cain’s piano style. The number begins with just voice and piano augmented by soft string sounds (in a ‘Faithfully’ style), before the rest of the band join a couple of minutes in. Schon’s guitar lines are gorgeous and the vocal harmonies are lavish, as they should be. Although most of ‘Eclipse’ doesn’t set out to emulate the older Journey numbers, this is one of a couple of numbers where they absolutely play it safe. Its predictable nature isn’t disappointing though – and it wouldn’t be a Journey album without something written in the Steve Perry vein. Also more “traditionally Journey”, ‘Anything Is Possible’ also really hits the mark, and in terms of melodic rock in its purest form, it is certainly ‘Eclipse’s stand out track. A solid drum line from Castronovo and shining piano motifs from Cain are joined by a fantastic performance from Pineda over a very much tried-and-tested, mid paced riff (the kind which usually accompanies AOR tunes called ‘Don’t Walk Away’). Schon’s guitar leads are full of vibrato-filled magic – which, in short, makes this a classic Journey number.

The semi-acoustic base of ‘She’s a Mystery’ also provides a little respite from the huge riffs, and also allows Pineda another opportunity to exercise the softer end of his range. Here, he reverts back to the kind of Steve Perry influenced performances he gave on ‘Revelation’, but with a slightly husky edge, more in keeping with Steve Augeri. This number’s simplicity is great, not even tarnished by a pre-programmed drum part; Schon proves, once again, he’s a master at all guitar styles, while Cain’s keyboard parts add a lot of atmosphere. Even here, though, Journey can’t resist lapsing back to solid hard rock riffing… The second half of the number adopts a slightly Led Zeppelin influenced riff, over which Schon breaks into a screaming solo until the track fades. Another highlight, ‘Someone’ is a bouncy pop-rock number capturing lots of the old Journey spirit. With 80s style stabbed piano and synths used in a shameless manner and Pineda in top form vocally, it would be great enough; but once Schon steps in with a sweeping solo (the kind which filled their ‘Escape’ and ‘Frontiers’ discs), this number has a sound which could convince the listener it had been left on the shelf from the band’s glory days.

Afer over an hour of surprisingly hard rock cuts, Journey offer an even fiercer closing statement. The instrumental cut ‘Venus’ opens with a few majestic guitar chords, overlaid by Cain striking some bass chords on his piano. Schon wastes no time in breaking into an overly complex solo which appears to feature more notes than expected, or perhaps even necessary, while Castronovo provides a ridiculously heavy backbone with his drum line dominated by double bass pedals. Symbolic of so much of ‘Eclipse’, this is Journey without a safety net.

‘Eclipse’ is not a great Journey album in the traditional sense. However, it is an absolutely stunning rock album in its own right. If you came looking for radio friendly songs in the vein of ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’, ‘Who’s Crying Now’ and ‘Be Good To Yourself’, you won’t find too many of those here, so you’ll be much better of investigating ‘Revelation’ if you’ve not done so already. If, however, you’re a huge fan of Neal Schon’s distinctive guitar work, hard riffs and extended arrangements, ‘Eclipse’ delivers more of those elements than any Journey release for years, maybe even ever. For those still bemoaning the absence of Steve Perry, be thankful for what you’ve got here – at least musically – and if you still don’t like what Arnel Pineda represents, be thankful that Journey didn’t hire Hugo.

May 2011