Review: Pride of Lions “Immortal”

Melodic rock/AOR

For the unaware, the dynamic duo behind Pride Of Lions is the legendary melodic rocker Jim Peterik (Survivor, Ides of March) and young gun vocalist Toby Hitchcock. Together they have released a trio of modern melodic rock albums that are destined to become classics in the genre. “Immortal” marks their return after a five year break that allowed the guys to work on other projects. In the words of Peterik, “After producing and writing the songs for Jimi Jamison’s wonderful 2009 release, Crossroads Moments (reviewed here), I needed a minute or two to get me juices back flowing in the direction of writing a great new Pride Of Lions record. When Toby decided to do his solo album (reviewed here), this was the perfect time for reflection. Once I started writing, the flood gates just opened up. I feel this is the CD to put Pride of Lions on the map once and for all.”

As with previous efforts, “Immortal” is filled with energetic anthems, mid-tempo rockers, and monster ballads. The mix of pace and style does not detract from the Pride of Lions signature sound, but provides a great dynamic when listening to the album from start to finish. The baritone vocals of Peterik balance well against the theatrical vocals of Hitchcock, who is likely to draw comparisons to the great Dennis DeYoung (Styx).

There are many songs one could shine the spotlight on, including the dazzling first single, “Delusional”, which is basically a healthy dose of child-rearing advice about not dosing our children with drugs just because they want to be unique. Similarly, “Ask Me Yesterday” ponders the wisdom that is found in youth, often in hindsight. On the power ballad side, “Everything Money Can’t Buy” and “Sending My Love” really shine here. “Sending My Love” features a particularly poignant vocal performance from Hitchcock, as the song truly connects with him: “Being a new father, it gets more and more heartbreaking to be away from my loved ones on the road. I love the road, don’t get me wrong, but it’s tough being separated from them as well.” Of particular interest to Survivor fans will be the track “Vital Signs” – this was a tune being worked on for the blockbuster release of the same name back in the 80s. Peterik never quite finished it until now, and I think most people will agree it was worth the wait.

Whether or not to add “Immortal” to your Pride of Lions collection is a no brainer – and if you were a fan of Survivor, Journey, or Styx, then it is time you discover that this kind of music lives on in this band.

Check out the video for “Delusional”:

Friday Videos

Loverboy has released a new record with 3 new songs and re-recorded versions of several classics. Check out one of the new tunes, "Heartbreaker", from "Rock N Roll Revival":



The new single from Pride of Lions (featuring Toby Hitchcock and Jim Peterik) is "Delusional", from their forthcoming fourth record, "Immortal":



Next up we have a new modern rocker called "Tremolo", the first song off the debut full-length album "New Symmetry" from Wires In The Walls:



And finally, a cover tune for you. This one comes from an entire album of cover tunes from Santana and various guests called "Guitar Heaven". My favorite track off the record was his version of Def Leppard's "Photograph" featuring Daughtry:

Review: Mecca “Undeniable”

Melodic rock/AOR
Back in 2002, the melodic rock world embraced a new band called Mecca, specializing in polished AOR rooted in the classic 80s sound but with a contemporary flair. Formed by vocalist Joe Vana, he enlisted, among others, the services of former Toto members David Hungate (bass) and Fergie Frederiksen on vocals and close friend and former Survivor founding member Jim Peterik, who contributed masterfully to the songwriting and production of the album. With such heavy hitters, the project could do no wrong.

Fans have been salivating for a new Mecca record ever since and now – 6 long years later – their dream has come true. Despite numerous setbacks, Vana continued charging forward to make this long-awaited follow up record, enlisting the talents of session masters such as Pat Mastellotto (King Crimson, Mr. Mister), Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson), along with Tommy Denander and Wolff. His core band was also created around Rick Vitek on drums, Brian Moritz on keyboards, Wally Hustin on bass, Eric Ragno on keyboards, Mark Alano on guitar and Joe’s son (Joey) on guitars and backing vocals.

The sophomore record wastes no time in regaining the foothold Mecca had that captivated audiences many years ago. “Perfect World” boasts engaging melodies augmented by slick production and smooth vocals. “Closing Time” flexes more guitar muscle, but not at the expense of a memorable chorus. Admirably reaching beyond their comfort zone are tracks like “Life’s Too Short”, which experiments with spoken word verses flanking a majestic chorus – it took me aback at first, but a second listen and I warmed up to this track fast. “I Know” slips right back into late 80s Toto and stands out as one of the best mid-tempo numbers on the record. Even though it clocks in over 6 minutes, “Did It For Love” is so masterfully written that you’ll want the song to continue nonetheless. Far and away the heaviest track in the bunch, “W2W” (which stands for wire to wire) is a blistering explosion of AOR strong enough to shake anyone out of a slumber and shows yet another side of this dynamic group.

“Undeniable” is described as an album that perfectly melts the outstanding High-Tech AOR approach of Mr. Mister’s “Welcome to the Real World” to the commercial brilliance of Toto’s “The Seventh One”. After hearing the record, I can’t argue with this description – it is close to a masterpiece. Fans of the debut are going to love it, and if you haven’t experienced Mecca before, now is the time! And one more thing…Mecca III is already underway!

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9

Mecca – Facebook.

Review: Toby Hitchcock “Mercury’s Down”

AOR/Melodic Rock
Fans of the melodic rock community should be no stranger to the talent of Indiana native Toby Hitchcock, who was one half Pride of Lions (for the uninitiated, Jim Peterik of Survivor fame constituted the other half). Hitchcock has now partnered with another budding AOR legend, Erik Martensson, who wrote, produced, and played on the “Mercury’s Down” album. Hitchcock’s powerhouse vocals are often compared to Bobby Kimball (Toto), Jimi Jamison (Survivor), or Lou Gramm (Foreigner), and are easily the biggest highlight of this release. The combination of his voice with the AOR instincts of Martensson makes for quite the dynamic duo. True to the genre, Hitchcock belts out songs with straightforward lyrics about love and encouragement.

While still maintaining a keen sense of melody, this project is heavier and more guitar-driven than Hitchcock’s previous work. Favorites on this record include the huge anthem “Strong Enough”, “How To Stop”, “I Should Have Said”, and the thunderous “Tear Down The Barricades “. While there are no shortage of jaw-dropping notes that Hitchcock nails, “How To Stop” features some of his most amazing moments. Unlike most AOR records, the album is not plagued by too many slow songs, but there is a monster power ballad in “One Day I’ll Stop Loving You”. The record seems to get heavier towards the end, closing with the blistering rocker that serves as the title track.

“Mercury’s Down” should easily please fans of Pride of Lions, Eclipse, or Journey – it’s a great AOR soundtrack to ease us into autumn.

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

Toby Hitchcock – Facebook

Check out the video for first single, “This Is The Moment”

Review: Sunstorm "House of Dreams"

Where would AOR be if it weren't for the Frontiers label? They released a real winner this year with "House of Dreams", the latest from the Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Deep Purple, TNT, etc) outfit called Sunstorm. After all these years, JLT still never ceases to please and is sounding incredible. Backed by some of the heaviest hitters in the genre, "House of Dreams" is an AOR fan's dream. Included in this ensemble is legendary Jim Peterik, who probably even takes his remarkably prolific songwriting pen into the john with him. He contributes on "Say You Will", "Gutters Of Gold", and "Tears On The Pages". Another songwriting master with strong melodic hard rock roots, Desmond Child, co-wrote the closing track "Walk On". The CD boasts outstanding musicianship (including members of Pink Cream 69), top of the line production, and a bold attitude to stick to a classic AOR sound rather than cater to today's trends (in other words, plenty of harmonic guitars, big drums, and keyboards). Helping the record to sound even more anachronistic: many of these songs are revamped versions from ones written years ago.

I like the fact that there are a decent number of uptempo rockers here, but it would not be AOR without your power ballads, so there are a few of these too. The CD is consistently good and plays well from start to finish. Standout tracks include "Divided", "I Found Love", "Forever Now" and the title track.

Sunstorm is highly recommended for fans of Jimi Jamison, Journey, Europe, or Hardline. Undoubtedly one of the best melodic rock releases of 2009, one that makes you think it is 1990 all over again.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10

Joe Lynn Turner on MySpace. Official site.

Review: Jami Jamison "Crossroads Moment"

If there is one AOR record you are going to buy this year, Jimi Jamison's latest, "Crossroads Moment" is the one worth your money. For those not familiar, Jimi Jamison was one of the lead singers for one of the greatest pop rock bands ever...Survivor. During Jimi's tenure, the band cemented its status beyond one hit wonder, churning out hit after hit on records "Vital Signs" and "When Seconds Count", not to mention a couple of theme songs from some very famous movies. After Survivor disbanded in the mid 90s, he gained further fame with his hit for the TV show Baywatch...but most people probably remember that show for things other than the theme song. Jimi Jamison has released a couple of solo efforts, but nothing quite like "Crossroads Moment". The major difference this time around is that he's teamed up once again with AOR legend and a founding member of Survivor, the one and only Jim Peterik.

So it is little surprise that "Crossroads Moment" sounds more like a true Survivor record than the ill-fated "Reach" record a couple years ago. "Reach" was a collaboration between Jimi Jamison and Survivor founder and guitarist Frankie Sullivan. It was mediocre at best, sounding contrived and insincere...more like merely a vehicle for Frankie to showcase fretboard gymnastics.

I appreciate that Peterik can put his ego aside and just be the unsung hero of the record. As always, Peterik puts the quality of the music at the top of his priorities. The batch of songs he came up with are nothing short of brilliant AOR, many with a modern edge. The quality of the songs seem to have brought out the best in Jimi Jamison as a vocalist, who sounds much better here than on his last effort, "Reach". Jamison's voice always sounds good, but when he is singing songs by Jim Peterik, something magical happens and it just goes into a different league. And when these guys harmonize, the sound of classic 80s Survivor comes out to greet you like a old familiar friend. I can't think of a better treat for fans who have been waiting so long for something like this to happen. A part of me is curious as to how this record would have sounded with Frankie's guitar on it, but Peterik does an amazing job with the guitar duties. I wouldn't have changed a note.

Many records stack the best tracks right up front. This is a great way to capture a listener's attention, but sometimes it spoils the listener and leaves the rest of the tracks sounding lackluster at best. Not the case here - "Crossroads Moments" starts reasonably strong with slow burners like "Battersea" and "Can't Look Away". But these are just teasers...the best cuts off this record are yet to come. The title track and "Till The Morning Comes" sound like they could have come straight off "When Seconds Count", propelled by some classic Peterik keyboard and a very tasty guitar solo. "Lost" sounds like a modern day "The Search Is Over", sung with great emotion and hair-raising harmony vocals, but an even more stirring ballad comes later with "As Is". Fans will also love the guitar on "Love The World Away", which uses the same effect heard on "Didn't Know It Was Love" from the criminally ignored Survivor release "Too Hot To Sleep". The cream of the crop include "Make Me A Believer", "Behind The Music", "She's Nothing To Me" (arguably the catchiest track on the record), and "That's Why I Sing".

I really hope this collaboration continues and that "Crossroads Moment" is just the beginning of a new chapter in AOR history. But I have no idea how Jim and Jimi are going to top this one.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Jimi Jamison on MySpace. Official site.

Check out this recent interview of Jimi Jamison and Jim Peterik discussing the record at melodicrock.com.

Video for When Rock Was King.

New music: Jimi Jamison "When Rock Was King"

Wow - this one really brings back the memories. Check it out if you grew up loving 80s rock and AOR. Jimi Jamison and Jim Peterik (Survivor) pull out all the stops and collect all of their 80s friends on this new music video. The song will appear on Jamison's new solo record, dropping next week. Send me a copy, boys!

Review: REO Speedwagon "Find Your Own Way Home"

I was really excited to listen to this CD, despite that fact that REO Speedwagon has done little for me since their mid- to late 80s hey day. "Find Your Own Way Home" (2007) has been hailed as a fine return to form, a terrific comeback for a band that has sold an astonishing 40 million records since their formation in the early 70s. They even scored their first chart "hit" since 1990 with the single and third track on this release, "I Needed To Fall" (it got to 25 on the BillBoard Adult Contempory chart). It was very nice to see a seasoned band score like that in today's sorry music climate.

That said, despite my best effort, I just can't click with most of the rest of the tunes on this release. The first 3 tracks are awesome and ooze with all the things one would expect from REO. But then comes track 4, "Dangerous Combination," which will make you scratch your head and wonder if a Keith Urban track did not get put on this CD by mistake. Surprisingly, it was co-written by the AOR mastermind Jim Peterik (Survivor, Pride of Lions), but clearly is half-assed, bottom-of-his-pile fluff with generic riffs and silly lyrics. Other tracks try to recapture the "old" REO, with some fine solo guitar work in a bluesy bar vibe, but those songs just lack the flair of the analogous tunes from very early REO. They stick out in a bad way from the more melodic tunes comprising the bulk of the CD, disrupting the flow and making the band sound like they are in the midst of an identity crisis.

Another strange thing - Kevin Cronin just doesn't sound like Kevin Cronin on many of these songs (ballads excluded). I'm not saying that is a bad thing...actually, there is more of an edge and urgency in the vocals that I find very appealing. I hope they try again, staying focused on generating more like the tracks I deemed iPOD-worthy.

REO Speedwagon's official site and MySpace page.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 6, 8

Check out a performance of "I Needed To Fall" from XM Radio (via YouTube):