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Firehouse
return with what is without a doubt the bands finest album to date.
Although diehard fans might be a bit miffed by the harder edged approach
the band has taken than in the past, the more guitar influenced tracks
on the album will win new fans. Let’s hope that the older fans will
grow to like the album on its merit and not on what was but on what is.
The opening and title track ‘Prime Time’ is a taste of what is the
band is about now with the guitars turned way up. ‘Crash’ is more of
the same with the guitars playing a big part in the sound. But all you,
let’s say long toothed fans, don’t worry the band haven’t strayed
from their melodic roots. The band have retained all those big sing
along choruses that are unquestionably Firehouse.
Michael Foster takes up vocal duties on ‘Door to Door’ and what a
fine job he does. A few years ago this would have been bread and butter
to radio stations across the globe with its radio friendly sound and the
obvious stolen, no lets say borrowed, chant from Slade’s ‘We’ll
Bring the House Down’. But with the decline in accessible melodic rock
in the media sadly this won’t be so.
‘Perfect Lie’ sees the band on more familiar ground with its slow
climb to a thunderous chorus reminiscent of past glories. ‘Holding
On’ once again sees CJ Snare give up the mike to others in the band,
this time Bill Leverty as he does again on ‘I'm the One’.
‘Body Language’ opens up with a heavy bass sound but CJs vocals
bring a mellow tone to the track and both compliment themselves with not
so much a modern sound, but more a new mature sounding Firehouse. This
comes through particularly strong on this track.
‘I'm the One’ as I said before has Leverty doing the honours,
vocally bringing extra grit to the vocals and a definite southern boogey
style to the track that breaks up the album well. ‘Take me Away’
isn’t the strongest track on the album, a little weak in places, but
still isn’t a bad track. Unlike ‘Home Tonight’ that is a real foot
tapper with plenty of tempo changes throughout.
The final track ‘Let Go’ can only be described as an old fashion
rock ballad complete with heavy keyboards a fitting end to a superb
album that will I'm sure win over a few new fans and keep the older fans
happy if they only give it a chance.
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