One of the most surprising reunions I never saw coming was of Unruly Child. The band – vocalist Mark (now Marcie) Free, guitarist Bruce Gowdy, bassist Larry Antonio, drummer Jay Schellen, keyboardist Guy Allison – released their brilliant self-titled debut in 1992, just when Grunge was on their take-over, and no one gave a rat which made for the band’s decline. There was two more Unruly Child records released – one with Kelly Hansen (Hurricane, Foreigner) singing and one with Philip Bardowell – but those albums felt more like demos and unreleased tracks than actual releases. So, that the original line-up decided to reunite in 2010 was a huge but very nice surprise.
The reunion album Worlds Collide was an AOR-beast and even though I never thought the band would fail, the album was better than I could have even imagined. It took four years before the next release and by then I had thought that the reunion was a one-off. The next release was an underwhelming Pop EP – Down The Rabbit Hole – which made expectations for the next full-length album a bit low. Luckily enough both follow-ups Can’t Go Home (2017) and Big Blue World (2019) were solid efforts and Unruly Child sure feels like a force to be reckoned with. When the band now releases their new album both Antonio and Schellen has jumped ship even though Schellen holds drum-duties on the album. Bass parts are done by Tony Franklin (The Firm, Blue Murder, Whitesnake). And this time expectations are high.
Opening single “Poison Ivy” meets all my expectations for what I want out of Unruly Child. It’s an uptempo and upbeat chunky number with a rockier groove and a classic Unruly Child sound. It’s a smooth rocker with its fair amount of pop-vibes but it’s hardly mawkish or cheesy. The melodies are impossible to not embrace and the chorus is massive – just the way it should be. A killer track. But things change already by the second song, the heavier and rougher “Say What You Want”. The gritty guitar sound and the punchy rhythm-section makes this more of Hard Rock number than an AOR one. It’s quite in-your-face and attitude-ridden and even though the chorus is huge, it’s not overly catchy I’m afraid. While I embrace stepping out of your box, I’m not sure this is the way I want Unruly Child to sound. It’s far from bad though.
“Glass House”, kind of the album’s title-track, is slower in pace yet with a chunky groove. Again, it’s a bit heavier than what we’re used to with crispy guitars at the front and an organ instead of the more traditional 80’s keyboard sound. While the tune brings on a nod towards Classic Rock it also sports the classic, smoother Unruly Child melodies and a distinct refrain that sticks right away. One foot outside their comfort zone and one foot remaining there. Very good indeed. The upbeat rocker “Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead” keeps the edgy guitars riffing and the beefy rhythms and takes a peek into 70’s Classic Rock. The straight-forward punch and the crunchy outlook gives the tune a live-feel as does the direct yet not hit-laden chorus. Very good.
“Talked You Out Of Lovin’ Me” takes the style back into Melodic Rock territories, where this lot belongs, with Def Leppard like guitar lines and a slicker sound all over. It’s a mid-tempo AOR rocker that could have been from the Worlds Collide sessions – poppy yet fat-sounding and a bang-on-target chorus that sticks like glue. Great tune. “Underwater” is pretty much a Pop song in an AOR-rock disguise. The song is quite laid-back but at the same time upbeat and brings along a whole lot of 80’s sounding guitars, a stompy rhythm and vocal-harmonies by the dozen. It’s a bit glossy but not sugary and it provides us another huge Unruly Child refrain, very much in the vein of the last couple of albums. Good one.
“Catch Up To Yesterday” is a ballad albeit an upbeat one. Acoustic guitars, keyboards and smooth melodies rub shoulders with bluesier electric guitars that brings on a Rolling Stones-ish vibe. The mixture of AOR and Pop and the Classic Rock touches marries splendidly with the very recognizable Unruly Child vocal-melodies and the hooky chorus is just the icing on the cake. Very good. “Freedom Is A Fight” is more of an uptempo pop-song but also quite rhythmic with a chunky groove. The tune holds a laid-back outlook, is big on acoustic guitars and the vocal-harmonies even brings on a Sweet touch here and there. It’s a quite slick number with a big refrain but with the guitars at the frontline instead of keys. Good tune.
“The Wooden Monster” is a Hard Rock fueled Melodic Rock stomper where we get a big pomp-rock keyboard inserted for good measure. It’s a guitar-driven, darker laden rocker with a heavier outlook and a pounding beat. As always, the vocal-melodies are on the smoother side but the whole tune brings on a bigger live-feel and is straight-forward, perfect for the stage. A good tune. “We Are Here To Stay” might be album’s heaviest tune and brings along a big 70’s Classic Rock twist, guitar-riffing with a nod towards Led Zeppelin and kicking groove. The tune is quite rough around the edges and the big, 70’s pomp keyboards brings yet another spice to the table. The hooks are of the more Hard Rock kind and even though the chorus might walk in the shadows of Melodic Rock, the tune still feels very alive and kicking.
To close the album, the band decided to re-record two tracks off their 1992 debut album – the ballad “To Be Your Everything”, the hit that never was and the rockier “Let’s Talk About Love”. The first is acoustically laden, slightly orchestrated, laid-back and even soft yet bombastic in a large soundscape. The latter, also acoustically re-worked is slower than the original and has here been transformed in to a stripped power ballad of sorts. Now, both versions are good but I’d take the original versions every day of the week.
Even though it’s easy to spot which band it is we’re listening to, this album is a lot rawer and heavier than their previous efforts. While I sure like my AOR with a little dirt under the fingernails, I’m not sure I believe the grittier arrangements really fits a band like this all that well. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good album but what I have always dug with Unruly Child is that they’ve always been so very AOR without getting mawkish or sissy and I’m not sure the big Hard Rock/Classic Rock insert betters the band. As musicians, the guys are all brilliant which is why it’s confusing why a great singer like Free feels that the use of any auto-tune is needed. Quality wise, all the songs are well-written and there are no bad songs in sight but that being said, I also miss the monster-tracks – there are too few of them here. This is a good album but it’s also their weakest since the reunion.
6/10
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Tracklist:
1. Poison Ivy
2. Say What You Want
3. Glass House
4. Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead
5. Talked You Out Of Lovin’ Me
6. Underwater
7. Catch Up To Yesterday
8. Freedom Is A Fight
9. The Wooden Monster
10. We Are Here To Stay
11. To Be Your Everything – 2020
12. Let’s Talk About Love – 2020
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