Trouble is the second studio effort from former Uriah Heep legend Ken Hensley and his band Live Fire. It follows the excellent, and very hard rocking Faster from 2011. With his former band finding renewed success in recent years with some tremendous new material and steady touring, the keyboard master & songwriter decided to get back into heavy rock once again, and his new band has proven to be quite formidable. Featuring Hensley on keyboards, guitar, and vocals, he's joined by lead vocalist/bassist Roberto Tiranti, guitarist Ken Ingwersen, and drummer Tom Arne Fossheim. Once again they've turned in a very solid melodic hard rock record that will easily appeal to fans of classic Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Rainbow, and Whitesnake.
"Ready to Die" kicks things off in blistering fashion, with Tiranti's powerful vocals soaring over some heavy riffs from Ingwersen and Hensley's raging Hammond organ. The title track also rocks hard, with a catchy chorus driven home by mean Hammond and some tasty riffing, and "It" finds the band toiling around in bluesy, Hammond soaked arrangements. The hook laden "Todo Loco" finds Hensley still able to write catchy material and house it within a heavy rock framework. Look for great Hammond, guitar riffs, and strong vocals on this rocker. "I Wanna Go Back" is another memorable melodic rock number, while the smoldering "Please Explain" slowly builds drama with some effective Hammond and hard rock riffs, allowing Tiranti to deliver the hook laden melodies. It's a great tune, and instantly memorable. The laid back, bluesy ballad "You Will Always Be Mine" slows things down to a crawl, a nice enough piece but kind of takes the wind out of the energy of the six songs to come before it. They bounce back with the swirling Heep influenced "I Don't Know", a tune with great vocal harmonies and that sizzling Hammond/guitar interplay, which then gives way to the upbeat "Dangerous Desire", a fun '80s styled rocker that reminds a bit of classic Journey or Foreigner. Trouble closes out with the melodic pop tune "The Longest Night", another mellow track but one that contains an addicting chorus and some Eric Clapton styled bluesy lead guitar. Tiranti & Hensley team up on vocals on this one and do a fine job together.
Not content to allow his old band to continue to trail blaze the nostalgia circuit as well as surprise the world with stellar new original material, Ken Hensley & Love Fire are quietly keeping up with the Heepsters just about every step of the way. Hensley can still write some memorable, killer melodic hard rock fare, and he's got a crack band alongside him to help out with the task. Trouble is damn good, so if you've long been a fan of Hensley & Uriah Heep, you owe it to yourself to check into this one.
Track Listing
1) Ready to Die
2) Trouble
3) It
4) Todo Loco
5) I Wanna Go Back
6) Please Explain
7) You Will Always Be Mind
8) I Don't Know
9) Dangerous Desire
10) The Longest Night
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