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Hole In The Sun
Night Ranger
A CD Review |
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In a recent discussion I had with my nephew I mentioned
Night Ranger, their hit "Sister Christian," and asked, "That
song came out in 1983. How old were you then?" As I began to
piece it together in my head, well, he sheepishly replied,
"Umm, minus 4," as I then remembered my nephew just turned
21, while Night Ranger is now some 25+ years old. And even
though they are older than my nephew, the boys (at least the
core trio of Jack Blades, Brad Gillis, and Kelly Keagy,
joined with the likes of Joel Hoekstra and Christian Cullen)
have a new CD out called "Hole In The Sun," and I was
pleased to hear that my nephew, younger than the band, did
know who Night Ranger is, was familiar with their music,
which actually shows the longevity and influence the band
has had over low these 25 years.
But enough of my trying to come up with a creative
opening paragraph, this is supposed to be a CD review of
"Hole In The Sun," so let’s get to it…
Simply put, if you liked Night Ranger, have been a fan of
their sound since that first song of theirs you have ever
heard (probably "Don’t Tell Me You Love Me" or "(You Can
Still) Rock in America" or "Sister Christian"), and you are
looking for new music from a band you always loved, well,
you should do your best to discover "Hole In The Sun"
because the Night Ranger boys haven’t tried to re-invent
themselves, they haven’t tried to "grow up," and they
haven’t shifted their message to something like "The world is
all wine and roses." Nope, Night Ranger, still, just rocks.
From the opening track, "Tell Your Vision," to the
closing, original track, "Being," the CD gives you that
guitar-driven, Night Ranger sound you will love, with "Tell
Your Vision," "Drama Queen," and Whatever Happened" among
the highlights in the rocking category, to the starting-out
softer, piano driven "There is Life," which, in true Night
Ranger, rocker-ballad mode, shifts from soft and subtle
piano, to a crescendo of sound of rock and roll, throw in a
blazing guitar solo in the middle, back to piano softness,
and of course, back to the crescendo of rock and roll sound.
And if you’re looking for an acoustic-guitar driven song,
well, you won’t be disappointed because just as you might be
getting a little too rocked-out as songs like "Rockstar" and
"Hole In The Sun" ramp you up, here comes the softer "Fool
In Me," and yes, it does have a nice, subtle, electric
guitar solo, because you will expect it, and Night Ranger
gives it to you.
"Revelation 4AM" is also a fun song (as most reflecting
songs, referencing Jack Daniels, usually are), I loved the
rockingness of "Wrap It Up," but as much as I wanted to like
"Being," (something just didn’t click with me for this
song), and "White Knuckle," (and this is no slam at the
band, because even though a rocker, early in the song they
reference "Rocky Road," which, for whatever reason, I just
can’t get over hearing Dewey Cox singing that phrase in his
song, "Walk Hard," and no matter how rockin’ the Night
Ranger song is, Dewey Cox owns that phrase), I just can’t go
for a 100% rating for the CD. There is, though, a bonus for
the CD, namely acoustic versions of "Don’t Tell Me You Love
Me," and "Sister Christian," which show that in any version,
guitar driven or acoustically, these songs still hold up, probably
showing why my nephew, who wasn’t even born when Night
Ranger was, knows their music.
The more I listen to "Hole In The Sun," well, the more I
like it, except, as happens with personal preferences in CD
listening, there are a few songs I can take or leave. As
such, in the end, if you are a Night Ranger fan, love their
sound, and even though there really isn’t a "Sister
Christian" hit on the CD, do yourself a favor, broaden your
horizons and get the CD, because the boys are still making
music that rocks, in your world. It’s 79% on the
Entertainment Ave! Listenability Scale for Night Ranger’s
"Hole In The Sun."
That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!!
L8R!!! |
