After two solo records – the self-titled debut from 2017 and Your Place In The Sun (2019) – that ran parallel with her job as the lead singer of Vixen, Janet Gardner decided to leave the band in 2019. She was replaced by former Femme Fatale vocalist Lorraine Lewis. When the next record was released – Synergy (2020) – it was released as a duo under the Gardner-James moniker but truth be told, Gardner’s solo albums could/should have been duo-albums as her hubby Justin James’ input equalled Gardner’s. Both he and Janet are also featured on the covers. Well, the promotion for her records seems somewhat underwhelming as I didn’t even know of the second solo album and the debut Gardner-James one. What I do know is that Gardner’s debut solo album was a good one and she’s always been a really good singer so the promo I got for this one was more than welcome.
Released as the album’s second single, opener “I’m Living Free” is a real banger. It brings along as savage riff, heavy and powerful before the slightly more held-back yet fat-rhythmed verses gets going. It’s an edgy piece with a raunchy, bluesy feel – especially the guitar solo – that even flirts with Metal yet with some melodic, hooky melodies and a spot-on chorus. Vixen this is not. A good song and a stellar opener. The following “Turn The Page” is more of a straight ahead rocker, guitar driven on a ballsy beat. It’s a live-friendly, robust melodic Hard Rock stomper with an 80’s approach without going down the glossy road. It’s direct and concise with a solid main melody and a distinct, catchy refrain. Very good.
On the other side of the coin we have the first single “85”, a pop-rocker on an upbeat and distinct rhythm. An ode to the glory days of the 80’s the tune has pop-hooks running amok with some clean guitars and smooth vocal-melodies and a chorus so catchy it should be illegal. This one screams hit in my book. A brilliant number. The title-track and latest single is a slower piece that comes across as a Classic Rock ballad where 70’s Aerosmith meets Rolling Stones. The tune holds a 70’s feel all over and brings on a chunky bluesy vibe with some soulful vocals. The chorus goes bigger and flirts with late 80’s power balladry, quite bombastic and smooth but never sugary. It’s catchy as hell though and sticks right from go. Awesome.
“Don’t Turn Me Away” continues the balladry and opens with some acoustic guitars that goes into the stripped down and earthy verse on a ballad note with almost folky undertones. The chorus takes a more upbeat approach with some crunchier guitars, a Melodic Rock touch, pop-hooks and an 80’s Arena Rock twist with catchiness enough to sell. Another single? Should be because this is great stuff. “Set Me Free” is a mid-paced rocker. It’s big on pop-flirtings yet on a crunchy guitar riff, punchy rhythms and rocking outlook. It’s both raw and edgy and slick and smooth at the same time. The chorus is good but doesn’t really stick as hard the previous tunes. A decent track anyway.
Another slow-burner, “Hold On To You” is a low-key and soft ballad, quite laid-back with a cosy atmosphere and a silky soundscape. It’s an emotional tearjerker with soulful vocals and a smooth keyboard arrangement. It’s slick yet powerful and the chorus holds some amazing, big backing vocals and an instantly breathtaking melody-hook that throws out hit-potential. Very good. “Into The Night” opens with a chunky, groovy bass-line with a sleazy, raunchy early 90’s Hard Rock sounding guitar riff. It’s stompy, chuggy and gritty with a rawness and attitude. The chorus however is built on Arena Rock with a late 80’s melody and a huge chorus that would’ve been on heavy rotation on MTV back when. Gotta love it.
The one track on this album that is a time-machine to the mid to late 80’s is the Bon Jovi meets Def Leppard stomper “I’m Not Sorry”. It’s a song that wouldn’t sit wrong at an early Vixen record – big, bouncy and Arena Rock glossy. The riffs are catchy, it’s rhythmic and the chorus is massively addictive. Done well, I’m a sucker for this kind of stuff and this is done well. Damn Well. The Arena Rock vibes continues with upbeat and straight ahead pop-rocker “You’ll See”. It’s actually more Pop than Rock and there’s a slight Def Leppard flirt here too. That said, I have a hard time getting a grip of the song and it feels a bit unstructured and never really takes off without being a bad song per se.
“She Floats Away” takes yet another turn and feels like the most left field song on the album. It’s a country flavoured pop-song built on acoustic guitars that starts out on a slower note but takes on a faster tempo and a more upbeat rhythm. There’s a southern outlook with a gentle keyboard in the background and it holds some slick vocal melodies where the chorus is the winner with a distinct catchiness. It’s a good song but I can’t say it rocks my world. Gardner and James leaves us with a good-time party rocker simply called “Drink” and the title is self explanatory. It’s a happy-go-lucky rock ‘n’ roll bouncer full of crunchy rock guitars, piano and a chunky rhythm, very fun-loving. It’s catchy and brings on a major live-feel. A splendid way to close an album.
As a whole, this is an enjoyable record and I think it’s better than Gardner’s debut solo album. I love the fact that it’s varied musically – Hard Rock, Pop, melodic Rock, AOR, Arena Rock, Metal, Country – but it doesn’t come with a split personality at all. It’s also nice to state that Gardner still holds a killer voice that sounds as good as it did back when. It might contain the odd filler but I can’t find any directly bad songs. The fact that Gardner and James loves doing this and had fun while doing it also rubs off on the over-all feeling on this record. It might not be my album of the year but it’s still a solid and very competent affair.
7/10
Tracklist:
1. I’m Living Free
2. Turn The Page
3. 85
4. No Strings
5. Don’t Turn Me Away
6. Set Me Free
7. Hold On To You
8. Into The Night
9. I’m Not Sorry
10. You’ll See
11. She Floats Away
12. Drink
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