Mr Eye Of The Tiger, Jim Peterik, has been a busy man in later years. Many are the projects he’s been involved in – World Stage, Pride Of Lions, Toby Hitchcock, Dennis DeYoung – and since touring has been impossible as of lately, a creative song writer like Peterik will keep on doing exactly that – write songs. With two previous studio albums by World Stage and one live album, Peterik decided on doing a third, this time with a bit of a theme. Where the last albums has just been a collection of songs with different vocalists, this album has Peterik showcasing women in Rock that he admires – a few of them here are names I’m not at all familiar with. Fact is, there are no really huge names involved at all, something that might not be all that premium from a sales point of view but as a listener it’s really cool to make some new acquaintances. Knowing just how good a song writer Peterik is and the fact that the last World Stage album Winds Of Change (2019) was really to my liking, I dived into this one with both both a big interest and some big hopes.
The album opens with the latest single and title track which features guitarist Jennifer Batten and singer Kate French. The song opens with some tribal drumming which leads the song into a quite soft-spoken approach yet a rhythmic beat and a slightly Celtic sounding vibe. It’s a smooth AOR-ish number, quite hooky and French, a singer I’m not familiar with – her day-job is with Metal act Chastain which is why I’m not familiar with her – is a great singer and her voice fits the AOR realm real well. A really good song.
Featuring the rhythm-section of drummer Anika Nilles and bassist Ashley Reeve, the leading single “Prom Night In Pontiac”, an upbeat and uptempo pop-rocker showcases the voice of Chloe Lowery (Trans Siberian Orchestra), another new name to me. It’s a very smooth and slick number with a slight Country twist. The melodies are all distinct, rich and full of hooks with the infectious refrain as the icing on the cake – and of course Lowery’s great voice. She has all the ingredients to be a star on the rise, believe you me. The hit-potential her is enormous. Great.
Speaking of stars on the rise, the third single released from the album, “A Capella”, features one Chez Kane who released her brilliant self-titled debut album a year ago. This straight ahead and upbeat Pop meets AOR number is right up her alley. It’s a bit riffy and features a good dose of both keyboards and acoustic guitars and at times it reminds me of classic Pat Benatar stuff. Kane is, of course, brilliant and the effective chorus here is so catchy it hurts. Awesome.
“Living For The Moment” is a bit more down-beat and dark and holds a solid, punchy beat – all in the name of AOR which features Batten on guitar, Linda McDonald (Phantom Blue) on drums and Jefferson Starship vocalist Cathy Richardson on vocals. With some crunchy guitars and some pomp-laden elements inserted the tune brings out some nice contrasts and again, some slices of delicate melody-catchiness comes on in the chorus. Maybe not as strong as the previous tracks but still a good song – and Richardson is terrific.
“Against The Grain” is upbeat and direct and a full-on smooth AOR number taken straight from the mid 80’s. It’s glossy and even slightly sugary where acoustic and electric guitars rubs shoulders with big keyboards, immediate melodies and a performance from Rosa Laricchiuta that really knocked me for six – as did the massively contagious chorus which screams hit. I remember Laricchiuta flooring me completely when I saw Trans Siberian Orchestra a few years ago but her own band Black Rose Maze didn’t. The way I see it, her voice comes out so much better here. Great stuff.
French is back on “Strong Against The Wind”, a darkening and saddening 80’s rock-ballad. It’s slow and emotional with memorable melodies all over, a big power ballad vibe in the big chorus and French’s killer voice on top. The darker moods removes some of the song’s gloss which betters the song. Richardson is back with Batten’s guitars on “Full Moon Crazy”, a grittier and heavier number based on Hard Rock with big inserts of Classic Rock, 70’s style. It’s guitar-driven on a bouncy rhythm where the verses are a bit more groundy and held-back but roughs up when the chorus hits. A damn good tune and a welcome banger!
Former Vixen vocalist Janet Gardner takes hold of “Lazarus Heart”, a ballad that lands somewhere where Classic Rock borders to AOR. The tune’s folky, acoustic guitar driven verse goes into Led Zeppelin territory and brings a bluesier vibe while the chorus is right back in the mid to late 80’s where Vixen used to dwell so it fits Gardner like a charm. It needs to be said that she sings the raunchier verses great too. Also, a passage where Beatles in 1967 seems to be the inspiration brings a dynamic vibe to the song as well. This is great stuff.
Another upcoming talent named Leslie Hunt shows up in the slick AOR number “Taller”, a song that carries the baby of Heart and Survivor. The whole piece screams Jim Peterik, very slick and radio-friendly (if we were writing 1985 in our calendars). It’s energetic yet
pop-sugary with an unescapable chorus that will grab you no matter if you want it to or not. Hunt is a phenomenal singer, not a far cry from the structure of Kane. I dig.
Heart, Pat Benatar, Fiona, Survivor, Vixen. Take those ingredients and add the vocals of Richardson and Kimi Hayes and you get “The Best In Us” – it just don’t get more 80’s than this. The song holds some dramatic arrangements, it’s poppy and silky with 80’s AOR fluff in a mid-pace. The song holds a very strong main-melody and another one of those glistening pop-chorus from Peterik’s pen. Good one. More Pat Benatar meets Survivor comes in “Dear Life”, a smooth and direct AOR-pop-rock tune that features upcoming talent Lindsay Kent. With both feet in 80’s Melodic Rock and some immense guitar-work, the song brings on super-glue melodies and another amazing chorus that wouldn’t be out of place on an old Survior record. A great song where Kent’s voice fits like a glove.
Kimi Hayes returns for the big power ballad “Walk Like Royalty”. The verses are taken right out of Survivor’s back-pocket but the chorus comes on strong, huge and bombastic, theatrical and dramatic which fits Hayes’ voice like a charm. In fact, the chorus could have been written for Broadway or something, very intense. The soundscape is a monster, it’s heavily orchestrated and actually overblown but the hook really catches on and I find the track hard to not like. Good one.
Keeping the drama of the last couple of songs, the great Lowery returns for the uptempo, straight ahead and quite live-friendly melodic rocker “Music In The Aire”. Blending the AOR of classic Survivor with more dramatic acts like Avantasia and Meat Loaf. It’s somewhat tough with chunky guitars, killer harmonies and a beefy rhythm which mixes brilliantly with the loads of pop-hooks which makes the big chorus go off right in your face. Very good.
“Sin To Believe A Lie” is grittier and rougher and more guitar-driven which gives the tune a Hard Rock edge carried by a muscular rhythm. It’s again sung by Richardson who gets to be more raunchy and attitude-laden something that suits her voice well. The vocal-melodies, however, goes into the AOR territory that we’re used to from Peterik so Richardson’s ballsier singing makes for an edgy contrast which in turn betters an already good tune. The chorus is splendid and sticks right from hello. Next single maybe?
“Stronger At The Broken Places” is a fat-grooved and stompy rocker with prominent and raw guitars, an organ and a 70’s Classic Rock swing, perfect for the stage. It’s melodically bluesy yet with poignant melodies everywhere and Marine Lacoste’s – another new name for me – firey vocals is superb and gives the tune more life and lifts the tune to yet another level even though it comes with crushing refrain perfect for a festival-party in front of some stage in the summer. Very good indeed.
The album closes with “Brave Is Beautiful”, a soft and earthy ballad, very smooth with acoustic guitar and orchestrated strings. The song really comes across as an early 90’s Heart ballad but with the voice of Leslie Hunt instead of Ann Wilson. It’s quite down-to-earth with gorgeous melodies, beautiful vocal-lines and the chorus is hooky yet emotional and slightly mellow. I’m not a big fan of ending albums with low-key ballads but this is a really good one and on this record, it works.
While I think this is a really good album with some brilliant performances from everyone involved – some new acquaintances were made from my part as well – sixteen songs are at least four too many. The album is just too long – a volume one and volume two would have been a much better solution. That Jim Peterik is a killer song writer is an undisputed fact which in turn makes for an album without any bad songs at all and a whole bunch of great ones. It’s a bit too soft at times and some of the tunes come across as a bit too samey which means it’s a bit much to digest all at once. But a song here and a song there works splendidly and it’s then it really shows just how good the songs are separately.
7/10
More Jim Peterik & World Stage reviews:
Tracklist:
1. Tigress
2. Prom Night In Pontiac
3. A Cappella
4. Living For The Moment
5. Against The Grain
6. Strong Against The Wind
7. Full Moon Crazy
8. Lazarus Heart
9. Taller
10. The Best In Us
11. Dear Life
12. Walk Like Royalty
13. Music In The Aire
14. Sin To Believe A Lie
15. Stronger At The Broken Places
16. Brave Is Beautiful
CD & Festival reviews 