Out to show that the strong Somewhere in California from 2011 was no fluke, Night Ranger are back a few years later with the follow-up, the equally solid High Road. Once again on Frontiers Records, the home to so many classic bands from the '70s & '80s, Night Ranger do here what they do best, and that is to deliver melodic, hook laden, guitar heavy hard rock anthems & ballads, and there are no shortage of either on High Road. With the core of the band remaining constant from the past few years, Jack Blades (bass/lead vocals), Brad Gillis (guitars, backing vocals), Kelly Keagy (drums, lead vocals), Joel Hoekstra (guitars, backing vocals), and Eric Levy (keyboards, backing vocals) prove that there is still a lot of 'rocking in America' to be done.
It's just one enjoyable tune after another here on High Road, with the title cut kicking things off in fine fashion, a catchy hard rock number that keeps you coming back for more. "Knock Knock Never Stop" and "Rollin' On" follow, each one packed with blazing guitar work from Gillis & Hoekstra and energetic vocals from Blades, while the first ballad comes in the form of "Don't Live Here Anymore", a Keagy sung piece that harkens back to their mellow hits from the '80s but with a slight bluesy feel. "I'm Coming Home" is a tasty rocker, again with Keagy at the helm, with those '80s styled hooks ever present, before the heavy guitars come out in force for the upbeat "X Generation". Blades puts in a great performance on this one (sounding quite like he did during his Damn Yankees days), and Gillis & Hoekstra trade off some fiery solos. Blades sings his heart out on the ballad "Only For You Only", a really lovely tune with a great chorus, tender piano, and sizzling guitar solo. "Hang On" rocks hard, a great tune for all the guitar playing headbangers out there, and is followed by the upbeat "St. Bathomolew", another crunchy riff machine that sees both guitarists laying down some impressive fretwork supported by catchy grooves & vocal harmonies. The band goes for a Beatles flair on the breezy "Brothers", while bonus tracks "L.A. No Name" is a gorgeous little acoustic instrumental & "Mountain Song" sizzles with epic guitar firepower. In fact, the latter might be the heaviest cut on the album.
As strong as Somewhere in California is, High Road is as good if not better. This line-up seems to really be gelling together, and both the songwriting & musicianship works on all levels. If you love that classic Night Ranger sound, this is an album that you'll enjoy over and over again.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
1) High Road
2) Knock Knock Never Stop
3) Rollin' On
4) Don't Live Here Anymore
5) I'm Coming Home
6) X Generation
7) Only For You Only
8) Hang On
9) St. Bartholomew
10) Brothers
11) L.A. No Name (bonus track)
12) Mountain Song (bonus track)
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
