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.

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.