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Every hard rock and AOR fan knows Jack Blades, so I won't talk about his past and present bands. Rock'n'Roll Ride isn't his first solo album, but it's been a few years. Just a few months ago we heard from Mr. Blades and his main band, and some of his Night Ranger mates gave him a helping hand on his 2nd solo album.
The opener Back In The Game is a guitar-based hard rock song with a happy edge. It has an 80's vibe, but also a slight pop rock appeal. Quite catchy, too. The title track is another good-time-rocker. If you like this sound, you will definitely enjoy the song and album! Sure, Jack Blades doesn't present something completely new, but he sticks to his roots and you can hear that he and the guys enjoy the ride!
After Born This Way Mr Blades slows down, the opening passage sounds like a real ballad, but then they pick up speed a bit and it becomes a power ballad - and that's called Hardest Word To Say. At Anything For You you can hear references to the Beatles... Not just the refrain. Right at the start I thought this is one of the weak tunes on this album, but it's a grower! The opening riff of Love Life has an AC/DC-edge, but the song becomes a hard rock tune. The song make you almost feel the California sun... Not all songs can hook me up, but they are far from being bad songs! The slightly melancholy Don't Give Up sticks out a bit, but it's good to get a different facet of Jack Blades. But with Say You Will the positive vibe is back, this tune has a modern, an alternative rock sound embedded - one of the highlights of Rock'n'Roll Ride. This chapter is closed with Hey Now, an acoustic rocker which I immediately fell in love with.
Not a killer album, but a good one. Some will call it backdated, I call it fun. So, if you like hard rock and AOR - and you do, otherwise you wouldn't read this line -, then you should check out Mr. Blades' Rock'n'Roll Ride!
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