Bob Cat has been best known as the voice behind the British hard rock legends,
Magnum. It wasn't until the mid 90s came around that he decided to offer up some albums that rode on his name only without the songwriting of Tony Clarkin to back him up. He didn't go it alone though, and managed to rope in
Gary Hughes of
Ten fame to write his music for him. The first three albums went by and pretty much seemed like an extension of
Ten except with Catley singing instead of Hughes. Not that this was a bad thing. The over-the-top pomp rock that Gary writes so well and with such honest enthusiasm was a powerful platform for
Magnum's vocalist to step out into the spotlight. For his fourth album, he recruited another staple of
Ten, the over looked but incredibly talented Paul Hodson. "When Empires Burn" still stands as the single greatest effort that Catley has done on his own...but "Spirit of Man" holds its own too.
A trio of English songwriters are responsible for the latest crop of tunes. These are Vince O'Regan (also doubles as the guitarist), Dave Thompson and Paul Utterly. Thompson and Utterly are members of Lost
Weekend but that hasn't affected the style of Bob's solo work. They wrote heavy edged music for him to belt, likely just how he wanted it.
This album is much cleaner and more straight ahead hard rock than
Magnum's last disc, which took a wade through some murky waters. The music is big, rich and pompy yet packing a nice melodic punch all the same. However it kind of teeters around quality wise. The first half of the disc is fairly strong, but a couple of half hearted material near the end kind of leaves it on a downer note. Maybe it's just another case of having too many songs packed onto one disc. Sometimes lesser is better, as there are a few tracks that share too many similarities to be hanging out together. Also, it is not nearly as epic as his previous works, such as "The Tower" or "Middle Earth". This might put off some, but the *voice* still reigns supreme, and if given even half a chance, this disc will win you with its numerous charms.
"Judgement Day" is a great piece that plays up the moodiness angle, but seems a shade out of place, since it is the only song that rides so dependently on acoustic guitarwork here. The chorus just pulls you into a state of hard rock divine, so all is forgiven. It pops out from the rest due to its unusual turn musically.
The ones that stick the best have deeply
AOR rooted melodies such as
"Moment of Truth" which is slamming with a hard rock elegance and gorgeous guitar work from Vince O'Regan. Catley is singing his heart out and giving it his all, really nailing the notes with passion. That chorus just steals the show though, snatching the song and stealing it away down the road of glittering melodic rock. His voice here reminds me quite a bit of Phil Mogg.
"Blinded By A Lie" is another that leaps out of the speakers and doesn't let go. This could have been a
Magnum song in their later 80s form. With a few more keys thrown in, it could have sit prettily on "Vigilante". A soaring rocker that finds itself flying high on pure energy and strong songwriting.
"Heart of Stone" is a fine choice for an opener with its thunderous fury, and is one of the hardest edged songs that I can recall Bob ever recording.
Ballads done by Catley always make my soul feel like it is being squeezed, and
"Last Snows of Winter" is no exception to the rule. He just twists this into a beautiful track with alot of passion pushing behind it. You can just feel the sadness tumbling forth like a lost puppy wandering blind in a storm. This was written in mourning after a tragic death of a friend and Cat just brings that forth so respectfully.
The title track is a tremendous piece that comes just at the right moment.
We had a couple of
AOR-ish tunes, a furious meaty metallic one and a ballad, so a slower epic bit was just what the doctor ordered.
"Spirit of Man" has the focus on the voice, but also gives plenty of room for the rhythm section, and the guitars to shine.
"Lost In a Dream" is a guilty pleasure. It's one of those unspectacular mid tempo tracks that sails along smoothly on a set course without alot to rock the boat. It even gets into a repetitive groove, but it is just so addictive that you can't help but warm up to it.
The closer is a fabulous piece that builds step by step into an overblown piece of epic porportions. Lovely and well done, it transcends from airy and floaty to an all out assault of metallic majesty. Guitars are ripping and roaring and Bob is singing his heart out and then some.
"End of the Story"'s inclusion allows the album to feel like it has come full circle to a satisfying conclusion.
A few songs don't really seem to click, mainly
"In the Name of the Cause" which is quite hard for a Cat track, but where's the hook? Also
"Walk On Water" doesn't seem to be up to par with the rest. Even the production seems a little more shallow and not as bright sounding here. This is most evident especially on the vocals and the instrumentation is not as polished either. With some tweaking this could have been so much better. It has this grinding repetitiveness that eats at the mind like a disease. The seeds of a good song are planted but the follow through does not allow it to hold its own with the rest.
Overall, "Spirit of Man" is yet another fine album under the bearings of the
Bob Catley name. I think it whips the pants off of
Magnum's last release, but yet falls behind "When Empires Burn". "WEB" had so many songs that were not just good, but were superb on many levels. It rose above the rest as a real cream of the crop effort and it's hard to top something like that. "SOM" tries, but doesn't quite measure up to that kind of greatness. The straightforward turn the disc takes might turn away some as well that were anticipating more pompousness and over-the-top sound overall. Still, this is an easy pickup for anyone into
Magnum,
Ten, and other English hard rock bands of the nature.
Written by
Alanna Wednesday, January 18, 2006
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