Many guitar aficionados will tell you, that along with Robin Trower and Frank Marino, guitarist
Pat Travers do what many blues infused guitarists try to do, expand the blues influence into metal territories the right way; and with that style set in stone, or in this case on tape (or hard drive), Travers along with drummer
Carmine Appice (Blue Murder, Vanilla Fudge, you name it.) have created a record that brings hard rock back to a more basic approach.
Fulfilling the power-trio format with the stripped down rock sound, including TM Stevens on Bass (Steve Vai, The Pretenders, again, you name it .), at times, the record almost has that King's X feel to it, especially with the vocal harmonies present (that sound is very notable in tracks such as
"Better from a Distance," the grinding
"I Don't Care" and
"Can't Escape the Fire"), invoking Travers' lead playing where his axework punches holes in whatever spaces might be led by the bass and drums playing the rhythm alliance within the Travers knack for rocking out. Other high points include the slower paced
"Hey You," "Rock Me" with it's stadium cheer vibe, and the funk driven
"Stand Up," with Travers' fretwork spread out among the various styles and influences going from shredding to jamming, complimenting the technicalities of both Stevens and Appice. In a final note about the tracks on this record, lets not forget to mention
"I Can't let you Go" which is fairly catchy, but those accapella horns imitated by vocals, almost ruin the song, but yet it's done in tongue-in-cheek fashion, where even laughter is heard afterwards.
Although at times it might have the classic rock feel to it,
It Takes a Lot of Balls does not reek of 70's schlock rock, its just a "balls" to the wall rock release, letting the guitar do the work, where along with the songwriting it marks a good return to this approach, not heard very often.
Written by
Hashman Thursday, December 30, 2004
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