World Superbike Champion James Toseland not only is an award winning motorbike racer, but the guy is also a big music fan and has a voice to match his passion. Toseland is the name of his hard rock/metal band, which also includes Zurab Melua (Guitar), Ed Bramford (Guitar), Roger Davis (bass) and Joe Yoshida (drums), and their debut album for Metalville Records is titled Renegade. Now that injuries have forced Toseland to retire from the sport, he's going full speed ahead into his new music career, and based on Renegade he appears to have a bright future ahead of him.
Most of the songs on Renegade bridge the gap between classic hard rock and anthemic heavy metal, filled with catchy hooks, gutsy vocals, and crisp guitar crunch. "Singer in a Band" reminds of early Guns 'n' Roses with Toseland's high pitched vocals, relentless blues metal riffing, and driving rhythms, while "Gotta Be a Better Way" and "Comin' to Get Ya" contain plenty of catchy hooks & riffs, making for an infectious listening experience. The singer seems to be going for the power ballad/crossover country crowd on the soaring "Just No Way" and majestic "Kingdoms", both mellow, rootsy, and melodic songs that have definite hit potential. If it's just good time, groove laden hard rock tunes you crave, you can't go wrong with "Burning the System", "Good Eye Blind", and the Southern Rock flavored title track.
Two tracks from the Hearts And Bones EP round out the album, and both rock pretty hard, with James' vocals again reminding a bit of Axel Rose. Overall, Renegade is very solid, and signals the arrival of a former motorbike racer into the world of rock 'n' roll, and based on this album he and his band have kicked things off with a bang.
Track Listing
1. Life Is Beautiful
2. Gotta Be A Better Way
3. Singer In A Band
4. Crash Landing
5. Just No Way
6. Comin To Get Ya
7. Good Eye Blind
8. Kingdoms
9. Burning The System
10. Emergency
11. Renegade
12. Hearts And Bones *
13. The Closer I Get *
* Bonus tracks from the Hearts And Bones EP
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