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DAKOTA | Three Live Times Ago | (Thoughtscape, 2000)

Settle Down / Magic / Crazy For Your Love / Possession / You Can't Live Without It / When The Rebel Comes Home / Lady / Workin' Hot / Changes / One Step / It Gets Easier / Restless / If It Takes All Night / Silly Boy / Dear Love / You Can Be / Bad Dreams

I have never really been much of a fan of live albums. Because of this, I feel I may not do this album justice. However, Dakota has delivered an album that mainly consists of songs off the Jerry/Kelly and the first Dakota album and that in itself is really cool! Songs like "Settle Down", "Workin Hot", and "When The Rebel Comes Home" (which later would wind up on the "Runaway"-album) belonging to the highlights. Add to that, four never released (studio) bonus tracks are added for good measure. A nice look in the rear-view mirror when Dakota had a more mellow and Westcoast-ish approach. To sum things up, this is an essential release for Dakota fans and something for others to check out if they have a lot of money to burn!

Review by: Larry

DAMNED NATION | Road Of Desire | (Z Records, 1999)

Come Hell or High Water / When the Truth Becomes a Lie / Road of Desire / Hold On / Calling Your Loveline / Soulstealer / I Got What it Takes / Life is a Mission / The Reason I Live / Love & Devotion / Coming Home / Endless Dream

This is the second release from Damned Nation, but the first CD I haven't heard in its entirety. Their debut was release in 1995 and was called "Just What the Doctor Ordered." From the sound samples that I've heard from the debut they reminded me a lot of Van Halen (5150 era Van Halen) meets Whitesnake (because of Thomas Thorson's blues influenced vocals). On this new release they seem to have honed in on creating a sound more of their own, but still incorporating styles of other bands that may have influenced them along the way.

"Come Hell or High Water" kicks in a 100 mph and doesn't let up through the whole song. It has some fierce lead guitar work within the first three seconds of the song, but vocally it falls short of what's to come. "When the Truth Becomes a Lie" is an excellent arena rocker with a monstrous chorus and a brief acoustic classical guitar solo, which adds a different element to the song. "Road of Desire" is something that I can easily see Mr. Big doing on one of their albums. Vocally, I would say Thomas sounds like a cross between Eric Martin (Mr. Big), David Coverdale and James Christian (House of Lords). "Hold On" is the first ballad on the disc and has hints of Whitesnake throughout the song. "Calling Your Loveline" and "Soulstealer" are both heavy songs on the verge of heavy metal. "Soulstealer" is very European in style, comparable to Iron Maiden maybe (?) "I Got What it Takes" slows things down again, but this is more of a power-ballad, which is very classy. The next track that grabs my attention is called "The Reason I Live" which contains all the essential elements that make a perfect harder edged AOR song. The lead guitar work is very emotional and inspiring which reminds me of the instrumental track "Mandy" from Peter Lesperance of Harem Scarem. "Love & Devotion" starts off as if it's going to be an acoustic ballad, but then the electric guitars come in and it turns into a rock song. Closing the CD is the song "Endless Dreams" which is a moody acoustic ballad from beginning to end that is very reminiscent of a House of Lords ballad and it's also a great track to end the CD with.

Overall, this is a solid release with a nice balance of rockers and ballads. Some songs are very average, but when a good song comes up, it's a VERY good one indeed. If you are a fan of Mr. Big, Whitesnake, Van Halen or House of Lords, you should give some attention to Damned Nation.

Review by: Rob

DAMNED NATION | Grand Design | (Z Records, 2000)

Stonecold Woman / Hiding From the World / Heart On the Run / Fortune-teller / Desperate / Call/Eyes of A Stranger / Hands of Time / Going Crazy / Scream of Anger / Love Reaction / Dance In Darkness

Swedish rockers Damned Nation exploded onto the melodic rock scene back in 1994 with their UFO Records debut cd "Just What The Doctor Ordered". On that album their sound was somewhere between Van Hagar meets Whitesnake with some European flavor mixed in. Then the band signed to Z Records where last year they came out with a strong sophomore release "Road of Desire" which mixed some of the sounds of their debut album - but they developed more of a sound that was their own.
That brings us to the year 2000 and the bands strongest release to date "Grand Design". This album has a better production - stronger songs and is 100% melodic hard rock class! When I heard this cd for the first time - I took an instant liking to it. The first four songs are all uptempo rockers that become instantly recognizable after the first listen. "Hiding From the World" is also featured on the latest Z Records Sampler. "Desperate Call" and "Going Crazy" are the slower numbers on the disc and both are excellent songs.
The only part I don't enjoy as much is when the band gets a little heavier in the euro-flavored track "Eyes of A Stranger" - but that's about the only song on this disc that I don't care much for. In closing, this is an excellent disc and Damned Nation are one of the best hard rock bands in Europe today - check it out!

Review by: Rob

DANGER DANGER | Four The Hard Way | (MTM Music, 1997)

Still Kickin' / Sick Little Twisted Mind / Jaded / Captain Bring Me Down / Goin' All The Way / The Girl Ain't Built To Sleep Alone / Goin' Goin' Gone / Afraid Of Love / Heartbreak Suicide / I Don't Need You

Many of the late '80's/early '90's successful AOR-bands/artists has gone through some identity crises.
D2's was their comeback-album "Dawn", the first with Canadian vocalist Paul Laine.
Not many of all these bands/artists have been able to get back up on the horse for another ride.
Finally there's a band that shows some true vital signs, Danger Danger!
Their new effort "Four The Hard Way" contains perhaps some of the freshest stuff I've heard the last couple of years. From an AOR-act that is.
Style wise they have returned to a more AORish sound, yet they still manage to have a very fresh & nineties sounding thing going on. Splendid!
Just check out "Jaded", Heartbreak Suicide" and "I Don't Need You". Powerpop/rock that breathes energy and attitude!
"Captain Bring Me Down" is a prime example how good a singer/songwriter Paul Laine seems to have become. A beautiful pop-ballad.
Paul actually sings a bit different than I've ever heard him before almost through the whole record. More control, not a complete emptying of the lungs for every single line, something he only does in places where it's needed.
There are also 4 re-recorded songs from the never released "Cockroach"-album. Two of them are the mean opening tracks "Still Kickin'" and "Sick Little Twisted Mind". The 3rd one is the much talked about "Goin' Goin' Gone", which is big pumping killer AOR. The 4th is the mid-paced rocker entitled "Afraid Of Love". Simply wonderful, with splendid guitar playing á la Tim Pierce from Andy Timmons.
Another favourite is the guitar driven AOR-smash "Goin' All The Way", with some traces of Bon Jovi in places. D2 has an album in their hands that should appeal to a crowd beyond the AOR-scene!

Review by: Stefan

DANGER DANGER | The Return Of The Great Gildersleeves | (MTM Music, 2000)

Grind / When She's Good She's Good (When She's Bad She's Better) / Six Million Dollar Man / She's Gone / Dead Drund & Wasted / Dead Dog / I Do / My Secret / Cherry Cherry / Get In The Ring / Walk It Like Ya Talk It

Weird band Danger Danger I'd say. Started out as just anorther laughable image band with a few highlights (i. e. "Don't Walk Away", "Under The Gun" and "Beat The Bullet") and has now turned into something with an identity.
With their comeback 1995 "Dawn", the first official release with Canadian Paul Laine as lead vocalist, they tried really hard to break some new ground. Maybe too hard at the time as it was butchered in the melodic rock media saying it was too grungy. In retrospect it wasn't at all grunge just more stripped down.
The 1997 "Four The Hard Way" saw the band picking up their old influences, but still sounded current.
An almost unbelievable record from this band.
With "The Return Of The Great Gildersleeves" they continue to grow.
Especially the songs penned by Laine are done with more colours from the palette. "Six Million Dollar Man" and "Get In The Ring" are in the same modern rock style as "Heartbreak Suicide" on their aformentioned "Four The Hard Way". Talk about rock'n'roll attitude! Laine's ballad "My Secret" isn't quite up the class of the beautiful "Captain Bring Me Down", also from "Four The Hard Way", but still enough interesting.
With keyboards aching Foreigner's "Waiting For A Girl Like You" I'm sure it must have been a inspiration source for the magnificent ballad "She's Gone".
"Dead Drunk & Wasted", "When She's Good She's Good (When She's Bad She's Better)", "Walk It Like Ya Talk It" are Danger Danger as we know them. Perhaps not ground breaking, but that fun-rocking stroke with the brush is sometimes colourful enough. Almost forgot to say "I Do" is perhaps the only pure AOR song on the record. If I like it? I do!
Besides only a few minor routin numbers, like "Cherry Cherry" and "Grind", this is yet another strong release from the re-born Danger Danger.

Review by: Stefan

DANNY DANZI | Somewhere Lost In Time | (Z Records, 1999)

Save Us / Come to Me / Lost Without Your Love / Love Me or Leave Me / Is Love a Lie / Somewhere Lost in Time / All the Time / Dirty Mean and Nasty / Dreams / Pop Goes the What

This is one of the first times that I can recall hearing so much about a debut cd before it was even released! Danny Danzi is a New Jersey based singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer and whatever other instrument/duty that goes along with making a cd. Considering that Danny is responsible for probably 95% of this cd - it's VERY impressive! I would have to say that Danny is one of most impressive new guitarists that I've heard in the last five years and he's not afraid to display his guitar ability - he's all over the map on the disc!

"Save Us" starts things off with a keyboard intro (who knows though, it may be an effect through his guitar that sounds like a keyboard), but at any rate it has a big hook and some fantastic guitar work as well. "Come to Me" is a faster paced rocker and the rhythm guitar reminds me of older Dokken. This is one of many highlights on this release and at the end of the track Danny just lets loose with some ripping guitar work that is sure to make you take notice of what a true talent this guy really is. "Lost Without Your Love" is more laid back than the first two tracks with an all-encompassing sing-along-chorus that is sure to be pleasing to the AOR fans. "Love Me or Leave Me" is the only track that I feel falls short of superb. I'm not sure what I don't like about it, but the track just does nothing for me. "Is Love a Lie" is in a similar style of the opening track, a good rocker with some keyboards which actually complement the song quite nicely. For people that know my musical taste, I normally am not a big "keyboard oriented rock" fan, but the keys are a nice touch on this track. I've also heard that song is a definite crowd pleaser when preformed live. "Somewhere Lost in Time" is the big epic ballad on the disc - an incredible ballad which kinda reminds me of Great White's song "Save All Your Love." "All the Time" displays a different side of Danny sound, which goes to show that his sound is quite diverse (which doesn't happen to often on hard rock releases.) It has one of the most brilliant choruses I've heard in awhile - guaranteed to get you singing along!. "Dirty Mean and Nasty" is what does it for me! I guarantee that this song will be in my top five favourite songs of 1999! Some may say it's just your average "party rocker" - but I just love his guitar playing on this track (comparable to Eddie Van Halen and Andy Timmons) with lots of attitude on this one as well! "Dreams" starts of acoustically, but it's not long before the electric guitar kicks in. The guitar work on this one is very classy as well. "Pop Goes the What" ends the disc - it's an instrumental track and in Danny's words "It's the look mom no hands track on the cd." If you are not convinced after hearing this track how incredible Danny really is on the guitar - than you must be deaf!

If you want to compare his sound to anyone, I'd say fans of: Velocity, Hardline and Giant will really enjoy this release. The only thing that disappointed me about this release is the production. Its sound could have been much improved and I would have preferred having the guitars more "up-front" in the mix. Other than that, this cd is a solid release and Danny is going to be someone to reckon with amongst the AOR/Hard Rock scene!
Visit Danny Danzi's website at: www.dannydanzi.com.

Review by: Rob

DARE | Calm Before The Storm | (MTM Music, 1998)

Walk On The Water / Some Day / Calm Before The Storm / Rescue Me / Silence Of Your Head / Rising Sun / Ashes / Crown Of Thorns / Deliverance / Still In Love With You

Dare's comeback record (3rd) is indeed a return style wise to the marvellous debut "Out Of The Silence" from 1988.
Their Keith Olsen produced second effort "Blood From Stone" (1991) is, despite the rough hardrock sound, better than its reputation. Songwise I think that album is actually pretty good.
That's what "Calm Before The Storm" lacks - genuine strong song material. Sure, songs like "Walk On The Water", "Rescue Me" and the title track are really fine songs, based on melody and feeling.
Fact is though that most songs are just of average kind.
My personal favourite is their cover version of Thin Lizzy's beautiful "Still In Love With You". A sentimental ballad sentimentally performed - World class!
All in all a pretty decent album actually, but the ballads are too many and too long (the average length of the songs clocks in at approximately. 5:45).
It seems unlikely they will ever top the debut...

Review by: Stefan

DEF LEPPARD | Euphoria | (Bludgeon Riffola, 1999)

Demolition Man / Promises / Back in Your Face / Goodbye / All Night / Paper Sun / It's Only Love / 21 Century Sha La La La Girl / To Be Alive / Disintegration / Guilty / Day After Day / Kings of Oblivion

It may take Def Leppard a few years to follow up an album, but when they do you can be assured it's going to be a good one! I know a lot of people were not pleased with their 1996 release 'Slang', but I thought it was a brilliant album that displayed the band's ability to sound modern, while still retaining a sound that was very much their own. I'm happy to announce that the people who were disappointed with their last release and wanted the band to go back to their "pop/metal" roots have just been granted their wish. While a couple tracks are still reminiscent of tracks off the 'Slang' CD, ten of the thirteen tracks are pure old school Def Leppard.

Kicking things off is the infectious arena rocker "Demolition Man" that is guaranteed to please long time fans of the band and a strong opener for the album. "Promises" is the first single released and was co-written by Mutt Lange - need I say more? "Back in Your Face" is in the vein of the material off the 'Adrenalize' release and is best described as a fun party-rocker. "Goodbye" is the first of three enormous ballads and is the second song to include the involvement of Mutt Lange - sheer genius with big harmony vocals (of course). "All Night" is the first song that has the funky vibe that was displayed on the 'Slang' album and I think it's awesome! "Paper Sun" is surely going to be a live crowd-pleaser and a favourite track for many people. It combines the rawness of the 'Pyromania' album and a killer chorus straight out of the 'Hysteria' book of songwriting. "It's Only Love" is the second ballad and the third and last song that involves the writing talents of Mutt Lange. The first word that comes to mind to describe this song is AMAZING. "21st Century Sha La La La Girl" is the other song that contains the flavour of the 'Slang' album. You may not love it on the first listen, but after hearing it a couple times it sure grows on you. "To Be Alive" is the last ballad on the CD and is surely up to snuff with the other two ballads. No other band seems to pull off a great ballad quite like this band - truly phenomenal. "Disintegrate" is an instrumental and the only track on the disc that I find myself hitting the skip button on. I wish they had used this song as the Japanese bonus track instead of "I Am Your Child." "Guilty" is a mellow track, but not a ballad by any means. The last two tracks "Day After Day" and "Kings of Oblivion" are both harder edged rock songs with the 'Pyromania' feel all over them.

This has to be one of the most solid releases of the year. If you buy one CD this summer, I suggest you pick up this one. It's very diverse - displaying all the different styles that Def Leppard have attained throughout their career - but without losing the main plot of the album. An essential purchase for all melodic rock fans, buy your copy today!

Review by: Rob

DIRTY DEEDS | Real World | (Beast Records Ltd., 1999)

Welcome to the Real World / Kill the Pain / Long Way Down / Nightmare / Telepathy / Killing Time / Judgement Day / Bullets / Cyber Babe / Never Give In

Dirty Deeds are a U.K. band that play aggressive hard rock with a nineties twist. They released a cd a few years back called "Danger of Infection" and have also toured with Iron Maiden.

The singer (Pete Franklin) reminds me of a cross between a more tame Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and the singer from Monster Magnet rolled into one. Personally, the only two tracks I don't mind are "Welcome to the Real World" and the "Kill the Pain". The rest of the cd doesn't do much for me. I wanted to like this, but it's just not my style. Most of the songs sound pretty much the same and maybe the first two tracks stand out because the are at the beginning of the cd! After those songs the disc really becomes boring and redundant. AOR lovers will want to avoid this release like the plague!

If you like bands like Monster Magnet, Motorhead and Iron Maiden - this may be for you! Personally, I'll have to pass on this one. If interested, check out their website at: www.dirtydeeds.co.uk.

Review by: Rob

THE DISTANCE | Live And Learn | (Escape Music, 1999)

Judgment / Day You Live and You Learn / The Sleeper / Take It Or Leave It / Twisting The Knife / Under Her Spell / Stealing The Keys / It's You / Come What May / Dancing On The Edge Of The World / Wildest Dreams

One of the best albums during 1997 according to myself anyway, was the debut from "Superduo" (Chris Ousey and Kenny Kaos) The Distance. Back with CD #2 and anticipations higher then a kite, this took me longer to really get into. But it's a darned good record, even if not of the same calibre as their debut.
For starters, this one leans a lot more into the Heartland-mould. Heartland in its own right is a brilliant band, don't get me wrong, but this one is lacks the edge the last one had. But there is no denying that tracks like "Judgement Day", "The Sleeper" and "It's You" are all top-notch AOR. And the Rick Springfield penned "Dancing On The Edge Of The World" is a killer, too! Not to be missed!

Review by: Larry

DOCTOR ROCK & THE WILD BUNCH | Stark Raving Mad | (Outlaw Records, 1994)

Stark Raving Mad / Eye of the Hurricane / Doomsday Love Song / Live by the Sword / Love and War / Wild Ones / Good Gone Bad / All for the Love of Money / Hands of Time / If Ever in My Life / Born to Die / How Was I to Know / Rain / Chilled to the Bone

You are probably wondering why I'm reviewing a CD that isn't a new release and also very hard to track down. The answer is HAREM SCAREM is VERY much involved in this project and not many HAREM SCAREM fans know about this release. I've been a huge fan of Harry's voice and Peter's guitar playing since the early 90's, so I'll try not to be too biased in my review. This band consists of: Steve "Dr. Rock" Holliday (Lead Vocals), Pete Lesperance (Acoustic and Electric Guitars), Mike Gionet (Bass), Mike St. Cyr (Drums) and last but not least Harry Hess (Backing Vocals and Keyboards). So in essence, it's HAREM SCAREM with a different singer and drummer. Harry Hess also produced the CD and has writing credits for seven of the fourteen songs on the album. Also, Peter Lesperance was involved in the writing process of four songs featured on this CD.

It is my understanding that this is the second CD released from this band, the first one was entitled "Eye of the Hurricane" which is one of the tracks also featured on this album. I believe around four songs were carried forth to this release from the debut. Production wise, this album is lacking, but the majority of the songs are so strong, you soon forget about how poor sounding the album is. Much like the debut FIORE CD "Today Till Tomorrow", Harry sings background vocals on almost all of the songs. There are maybe one or two songs that Harry doesn't sing on, but it's hard to tell. His voice definitely stands out and is more present in the mix than the actual lead singer's voice - whose voice is very set back in the mix with the guitars being more up-front.

After my long-winded introduction, I guess I should talk about the songs for a bit.
The first two songs "Stark Raving Mad" and "Eye of the Hurricane" are both rockers in the style of Harem Scarem's "Mood Swings" and are equally as good! Vocally, Steve Holliday reminds me a lot of fellow Canadian rocker KIM MITCHELL. I know some people that have heard the album do not care much for Steve's voice, but I happen to like his voice. "Doomsday Love Song" is a moody ballad and has Harry belting out the huge chorus that you'll fall in love with half way through the song on your first listen. "Live by the Sword" and "Love and War" are both written by Steve Holliday, they are hard rock songs with big choruses, but you can tell that Harry and Pete weren't involved with writing the songs. Not that they are awful songs or anything, just a little different sounding. It's very hard for me to pick out a favourite track on the CD, but "Wild Ones" is a definite highlight on the album. Pete's guitar work is outstanding as usual and he surely has the guitar tone of the "Mood Swings" release. Other mentionable songs in the "Mood Swings" vein are: "Hands of Time", "How Was I to Know" and "Chilled to the Bone". "If Ever in My Life" is an acoustic ballad that takes you back when you hear Steve sing. I think this is his poorest vocal performance on the album and he sings in a very low key, which doesn't seem to suit his voice at all. Fortunately, the chorus (that Harry sings) saves the song and it turns out to be a half decent track. The last thing I'd like to mention is the song "Rain." No, it's not the same "Rain" that is featured on the "Karma Cleansing/Believe" CD, but it's a classy song as well.

So if you are a Harem Scarem die-hard fan, I suggest you do whatever it takes to get your hands on this release solely for Harry's background vocals and Pete's heavenly guitar work. If you love "Mood Swings" and are not too happy with the new direction that Harem Scarem has gone into, you may want to look into this release as well. I'm surely glad that I was able to obtain a copy of this gem and I'll be putting it right beside my long list of Harem Scarem CD's in my collection.

Review by: Rob

DOKKEN | Erase The Slate | (CMC International, 1999)

Erase the Slate / Change the World / Maddest Hatter / Drown / Shattered / One / Who Believes / Voice of the Soul / Crazy Mary Goes Round / Haunted Lullabye / In Your Honor

WOW! This is a much better effort than their last release "Shadowlife". Then again, it's quite hard not to improve from the most disappointing album of the bands career. Needless to say, they have gone back to doing what they do best - playing guitar driven hard rock! This is the first album to feature the guitar talents of Reb Beach (former Winger guitarist) and I think the new blood in the group sure sparked a new flame and passion in their music.

The title track "Erase the Slate" opens the album and is probably the heaviest track on the CD - very reminiscent of the old Dokken that we all know and love. Don sounds great and Reb's guitar work is all over this song! "Change the World" has more of a commercial acceptance to it with its more melodic chorus, but it is still very in-your-face. "Maddest Hatter" doesn't let up on the assault and is the first single on the CD. I can hear hints of the Beatles influence in this song, especially in the vocal harmonies. "Drown" and "Shattered" are both more modern sounding tracks with a darker edge to them. Having said that, they are both still very strong songs that I'm sure won't disappoint anyone. Something that I find interesting about this CD is how each song has its own feel/individual characteristics about them. No two songs sound the same, which is nice and refreshing to hear. "One" is a cover tune and I'm sure most of you have heard this song before, I've been told it was originally done by the group Three Dog Night (?) It starts off slow and as the song progresses it gets a lot heavier. "Who Believes" starts off as an acoustic ballad of sort and leads up to a powerful chorus. Again, I can hear some of the Beatles influence in this track. "Voice of the Soul" is more modern sounding again and probably my least favourite track on the disc. "Crazy Mary Goes Round" is absolutely an amazing track! I believe this is the first studio track to feature Mick Brown on vocals and he has an incredible voice. It's a pure pop-rock song that is a pleasant surprise and one of many highlights on the disc. I would love to hear more of Mick's singing in the future. "Haunted Lullabye" has the distorted vocals effect - that became very common in the nineties - but they pull it off quite nicely. "In Your Honor" is an acoustic ballad that I think is one of Dokken's finest crafted ballads to date! It's deemed to be a classic - an excellent way to end an amazing disc. There's a one minute and sixteen second instrumental as a hidden track that I just thought I'd mention.

Dokken fans of yesteryear should be happy with this release and if you never gave the band a chance before, now is a good time to start. It's a superb release and my favourite Dokken studio album to date. Let's hope they keep up the good work.

Review by: Rob

DOKKEN | Live From The Sun | (SPV, 2000)

Erase the Slate / Kiss of Death / The Hunter / Into the Fire / Maddest Hatter / Too High to Fly / Breaking the Chains / Alone Again / It's Not Love / Tooth and Nail / In My Dreams

Here's the new live Dokken release which features Reb Beach replacing George Lynch on guitar. I have been eagerly anticipating hearing this release to see how the band sounds live now. I'm pleased to say that the band is very tight and Reb Beach pulls off all the old songs incredibly well live.

What we have here is basically a "Best of...Live" release - why they released a "Best Of Live" disc right after releasing a "Best Of Dokken" cd is beyond me. Some things that bother me about this release is they only play two songs from the new cd "Erase the Slate" - the title track and "Maddest Hatter"- I personally would have liked to have heard at least two more songs from that cd on here. Secondly, there's only eleven songs on the cd - I'm not getting the feeling that we are hearing the complete show. I could be wrong about not hearing the entire show, but I wouldn't mind hearing a few more live songs. Also, if this is a best of disc, why didn't they include the song "Just Got Lucky?"

Enough of the complaining, overall this is a great live disc and you really get the feel for the live energy that the band discloses while on stage. Don Dokken sounds a lot better live than I expected. If you are a Dokken fan, you sure aren't going to want to miss out on picking up this release.

Review by: Rob

DOUBLE DEALER | Moving Target | (Escape Music Ltd., 1999)

Jammin' in the Jungle / What Fires Your Imagination / Stickin' My Love / Keep Your Hands to Yourself / Show Some Mercy / In My Arms Again / Hot Shot / Passion / Cries of Love / Heaven's on Fire / Freedom

Here we have the debut album from a Vancouver, Canada based band. David Steele and Kenny Geatros are the primary members involved in this project as well as producing the CD.
Opener "Jammin' in the Jungle" is a high energy rocker with a stellar vocal performance by David Steele. "What Fires Your Imagination" has a big sing along chorus and is a great party rocker with some sensational guitar work provided by Kenny. I can easily see this song being on a Babylon A.D. disc. "Stickin' My Love" is my favourite song on the disc and is guaranteed to stay in your head for quite some time after only your first listen. "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" sounds like Bad Company with more of an edge, it definitely has an overall 70's vibe to it without sounding out of place with the rest of the material on the album. "Show Some Mercy" has some hints of Van Halen (5150 era VH that is) and is undoubtedly a classy hard rock song. After five intense rock songs, the album slows down for an incredible power ballad entitled "In My Arms Again". This power ballad is another song that surely has the Babylon A.D. undercurrent all over it. It has soaring vocals and is sure to be included on a lot of personal mixed tapes. One of the best ballads I've heard so far this year! "Hot Shot" is a funk/metal rocker with a heavy groove and they pull it off incredibly well. "Passion" is nothing to write home about. It has a cool groovin' main guitar riff, but the overall song leaves a lot to be desired. "Cries of Love" is in much the same style as the previous song, but is more memorable. "Heavens on Fire" is a mid-paced rocker Canadian style! To end the CD is "Freedom" the most AOR oriented song on the album and a great way to end an excellent CD. There's maybe a hint of Bad English on that one. If you are a fan of CD's such as Triumph's "Edge of Excess" or Von Grooves debut CD, you may want to investigate this band further. This CD will be in heavy rotation in my CD player throughout this summer. Hopefully we will hear more of Double Dealer in the future.

Review by: Rob