Vaduz: Better Days

Guilty pleasures? Misguided albums? Staying true to your roots? Well we all have our own opinions on albums and bands who pretend like it's still 1988. In the case of Mid-West Americans Vaduz, with their last release dating back to 1997, maybe it is a little more understandable that they do so. So album number three for Vaduz, Better Days is a strong mix of 7800 Fahrenheit and New Jersey era Bon Jovi, with a hint of Giant, White Lion and The Vu. A classy mix in anyone's book, but when the initial similarity between opening pairing "Workin' Band" and "I Saw The Light Again" and the work of a certain Mr Bon and his good friend Mr Jovi is verging on copycat, then there's little denying that this is a release that will polarise opinions. Myself, well a huge swathe of my trusty record collection dates back to that era and while my tastes have diversified hugely since then, I still love a little nostalgia visit every so often. So for those of a similar musical disposition, there's no denying that the smooth melodies, razor sharp hooks and shining vocals will make an impact and while it would be a fair stretch of the imagination to suggest that much on this album will ever replace the classics of yesteryear, there's no argument that the mid paced blues tinged-stomp of "On My Way", the jaunty bounce of the album's title number and the dirty grit of "Enemy" are good reminders of why this music made the mark it did.

Brian Wade has one of those voices that reminds of many, JBJ, Brett Michaels, Kip Winger, Ted Poley and so on, while Ringo Lee certainly learned guitar at the school of Sambora. Both do it well and while nothing on this album will ever compete in the originality stakes, if you can put that to one side, then what Vaduz have cooked up here is pretty damn convincing.

If you hanker back to a time when Bon Jovi wore cowboy hats as a fashion statement and not an indication of what their new album sounded like, then Vaduz will get you back on your steel horse. However whether Better Days has you scurrying to relive the glories of the past, or continuing to spin this latest Vaduz platter, well that's a close call...

Track Listing
1. Workin' Band
2. I Saw The Light Again
3. Better Days
4. Thy Kingdom Come
5. Hey Yeah
6. Enemy
7. Faces In The Storm
8. Lowdown Blues
9. On My Way

Added: April 1st 2013
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Vaduz on ReverbNation
Hits: 2629
Language: english

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