This Just In: Brian Howe ends his recording career with EP

From Brian Howe, one time lead singer for Bad Company (posted on his Facebook page):

"MY NEW E.P. IS RELEASED ON MUSIC DOWNLOAD SITES TODAY.
CALLED "EMOTIONS" IT MARKS THE END OF MY RECORDING CAREER.
I DID NOT MAKE IT WITH A RECORD COMPANY AS I WANTED IT TO BE PERSONAL FROM ME TO YOU. I AM VERY PROUD OF THIS EFFORT WHICH WAS INFLUENCED BY THE LOVE OF MY LIFE.
PLEASE TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK ABOUT THIS RECORD AND SREAD THE WORD.
IT WILL BE STRANGE TO NEVER RECORD AGAIN BUT WITH THE ADVENT OF FREE MUSIC DOWNLOAD SITES AND RECORD COMPANIES WITH NO CLUE. THE TIME IS RIGHT TO RETIRE.
I HOPE YOU ENJOY LISTENING TO REAL "EMOTIONS" AS MUCH AS I DID MAKING IT."

Classic melodic rock CD of the week

By Stephen Kasenda

BAD COMPANY “Here Comes Trouble” (1992)

“Here Comes Trouble" marked the end of Brian Howe's era in Bad Company after 8 years with the band since he replaced Paul Rodgers in 1986. For those who haven't heard of him before, Howe possessed a smooth pop-rock and laid back vocal which is a bipolar opposite of the bluesy voice of Paul Rodgers. The album itself is very different ...in contrast to their early hard rock roots you'll feel a breezy blow of the thick AOR winds, thanks to the major contribution of Brian Howe.

"How About That", the first track of the album, was their biggest hit, spending over six weeks on the chart. I found this song to be an enchanting and beautiful showcase of Howe's majestic voice. The next single, "This Could Be The One", is another acoustic power ballad gem, but "Hold On To My Heart" is definitely the best pick on the album. Looking for an uptempo track here is a tough job as most of the songs are slower but "Take This Town" and "Stranger Than Fiction" are great examples of Howe's songwriting capability. Avoid "Both Feet In The Water" and "Brokenhearted", but take a close look at the other great songs such as "What About You" and "My Only One".

The swansong release of Brian Howe in Bad Company is a forgotten jewel of '92, especially if you're fond of melodic rock and AOR genre. The production is warm with the highlight being Howe's voice and the superb compositions. I recommend you pick this up for those singles alone but you'll be swarmed with at least 7-8 wonderful songs inside, so how about that?

Read more of Stephen’s features at MetalMusicArchives.

Review: Bucket and Co. “Guitars, Beers, and Tears”

Best known as the long time guitarist for Bad Company (beginning in 1990 with their blockbuster comeback, “Holy Water”), Dave 'Bucket' Colwell has just released his first solo album, “Guitars, Beers & Tears.” Bucket has surrounded himself with good company over the years, and many of his friends are featured guests on his record. The list is long, but worth articulating. We have Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith lending vocals and lead guitar to “Make Up Your Mind” and vocals on “Reach Out” (he sounds a lot like Sammy Hagar here), Edwin McCain on “Why You Call” and “Survive”, Steve Conte from The New York Dolls singing “If You Need Me At All”, Spike from The Quireboys on “Girl of My Dreams” and “I’d Lie”, Danny Bowes from Thunder on “Life”, just to name a few. To say that “Guitars, Beers, and Tears” isn’t comprised of one of the most diversely talented groups of musicians and vocalists is an understatement. The first concern is that Bucket and Co. is going to sound like a disjointed mess, but the record plays like one big all-star party straight through. It is surprisingly cohesive despite the revolving door of players and singers because nearly every song is centered on a strong rock hook with Bucket’s distinctive guitar licks taking it to the next level.

Bucket has a long and storied career in the music business and has appeared with many artists including Bon Jovi, Slash, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and ZZ Top to name a few, and you’ll hear bits and pieces of their influence and others throughout “Guitars, Beers, and Tears”. There are lots of excellent tunes that blend classic rock and blues with those sweet AOR melodies from 80s rock. Colwell is a terrific songwriter trying to bring fun, memorable melodies back into rock. My favorite cuts include “Make Up Your Mind”, “Why You Call”, “If You Need Me” and “Life”. The only tracks that didn’t work so well for me are those sung by Spike – sorry, but the guy’s voice is shot. He still sounds OK on a rough and tumble rocker, but he simply isn't suited for softer songs or ballads – it makes about as much sense as blowing your nose with sandpaper.

In my opinion, “Guitars, Beers, and Tears” is one of the most pleasant melodic rock surprises of the year. This is Dave 'Bucket' Colwell’s self-proclaimed labor of love, and it is a record that demands to be on everyone’s bucket list.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10

Bucket and Co. on MySpace. Official Site.

Interview: Brian Howe

I recently had the good fortune to interview Brian Howe, whose new sophomore solo release "Circus Bar" is out now (reviewed here). He was very candid and very funny, especially when talking about his tenure with Bad Company!

Check out the interview here at Rock and Roll Report.

Review: Brian Howe "Circus Bar"

After 13 years, Brian Howe is back with a whopper of a new album. The ex-Bad Company singer begins his sophomore release with the announcement of his triumphant return in a terrific and feisty rocker aptly titled, "I'm Back".

Sounding just as fierce and energetic as his heyday in Bad Company, Howe has delivered what many will consider the surprise of the year. "Circus Bar" is packed with some of the most melodic and contemporary material he's ever written. The contemporary nature of the new record may be due in part to input from songwriting and producing partner, Brooks Paschal (formerly of the modern rock band Sullivan).

After the infectious opener ("I'm Back"), Howe launches into another catchy tune called "Life's Mystery", which, as you may surmise, is a reflective piece about our fragile and temporary existence. "There's This Girl" finds Howe on terra firma, a track that could easily have been placed on any of his records with Bad Company. "I'm Surrounded", a great mid-tempo song of yearning, will please those who enjoyed Howe's first solo record, 1997's "Tangled In Blue". "Flying", a sweet acoustic ballad laced with beautiful harmonies, is a touching tribute to moms that have passed on. "My Town" returns to the rock designed to get you to move and "Feels Like Coming Home" is another mid-tempo treat made even better with some great harmonies in the pre-chorus. "What Am I Feeling" could be considered the sequel to the monster power ballad hit, "If You Needed Somebody".

Fans will note that "Circus Bar" has newly recorded versions of two songs Howe made into hits with Bad Company. His new version of "How 'Bout That" is only mildly different, but his haunting piano-driven rendition of "Holy Water" is a very compelling listen.

In many ways, "Circus Bar" sounds like a stellar, proper follow up to Bad Company's "Here Comes Trouble". It possesses the maturity of his previous solo record from many years ago, but has much more of a rock vibe than the adult contemporary direction that dominated "Tangled In Blue". No fan of great melodic rock should miss this one - it is Howe's masterpiece.

Don't miss my interview with Brian Howe at Rock and Roll Report!

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13

Brian Howe on MySpace. Official site.

Review: Bad Company "Fame and Fortune"

I think I am in the minority to admitting that I actually like this 1986 release by Bad Company. "Fame and Fortune" was the first Bad Company record to feature Brian Howe (of Ted Nugent fame) instead of fan favorite Paul Rodgers (who left to work with the supergroup The Firm). I can understand their shock to the new direction this incarnation of the band took, but if you can get over their use of the band name and just judge the record, it ain't half bad.

Brian Howe brought more to the table than just a set of tremendous pipes...he contributed heavily to the songwriting on "Fame and Fortune" and the more commercially successful releases that followed. "Fame and Fortune" finds the band adapting to its new personnel while struggling to fit into the changing music scene. As result, this record has more keyboards and sax (!) than any other Bad Company release, hence sounding more like a Survivor or Foreigner record. In fact, Foreigner producer Keith Olsen produced this record with executive production by Mick Jones.

"Fame and Fortune" abandons the classic rock sound and is an unadulterated excursion into AOR territory. The songs are highly melodic, lyrically unsophisticated, and aim to please with a memorable chorus. The synths and bass line of "Long Walk" make it sound like a weaker cousin of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger". "Hold On My Heart", my favorite of the bunch despite the omnipresent sax, is a great mid-tempo pop rocker. "When We Made Love" is the requisite ballad, but feels like it is more of a warm up to their comeback smash, "If You Needed Somebody" on 1990's "Holy Water". The single "This Love" may ring a bell for some of you in your late 30s. "Valerie" is another tune that sounds like it fell off a Survivor record.

So begins the Brian Howe era. Give it another chance if you are an AOR fan - it is the most overt 80s pop rock Bad Company ever did. They quickly ditched the keyboards and sax and ran back to their hard rock sound on 1988's "Dangerous Age". Incidentally, Bad Company was not the only band to try the switch to AOR - check out .38 Special's "Rock and Roll Strategy".

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10

Bad Company official site.

Brian Howe official site.

Review: Bad Company "Company of Strangers"

Oh the things I listen to for you, dear reader. I consider myself an AOR fan's savior when I can save your precious time by alerting you to avoid crap like this.

Bad Company, the legendary group who scored huge hits with original vocalist Paul Rodgers, and with his replacement in 1986, Brian Howe. But after Howe left in 1994, poor Robert Hart didn't stand much of a chance. By now, the chemistry in the group had severely deteriorated and the songwriting had become predictable and stale. Robert Hart failed to rekindle the fire of this once great classic rock band. And it did not hurt that by 1995, when this record was released, grunge was still the hot commodity.

But grunge and changing music trends cannot be blamed for the failure of this album. And neither can Robert Hart, who sounds like a Paul Rodgers clone. The songs are just tired and uninspired. We get off to a highly mediocre start with the title track. You wake back up for a bit with track 2, "Clearwater Highway", which gives you reason to be cautiously optimistic. But then it rapidly goes "Down Down Down" from there. "Gimme Gimme" is a fair attempt to recapture the blues rock they mastered in the 70s, but there is no real swing to it, and the hook must be forced. The lyrics on this record are laughable, sponsored by testosterone and understood by people with IQs in the single digits. Speaking of low IQs, the choice to release "Down and Dirty" as the lead off single? Oh, the humanity.

If you like ballads, you may enjoy some of those here - but they're no "If You Needed Somebody." The acoustic number "Little Martha" is quite good, and the piano-driven closer, "Loving You Out Loud" is a quaint and simple love song. "Abandoned and Alone" tries to come off as a smoldering blues ballad, but is just a snooze fest for me. "Where I Belong" works best, sounding like a mellow throwback to 70s, well sung, with some nice chorus harmonies to boot.

To sum up, "Company of Strangers" is largely a bore...a futile attempt to recapture youth, both musically and lyrically. There were three tracks I could find that were not too difficult to stomach.

iPOD-worthy: 2, 6, 11

Bad Company official site.