Michael Bormann was ousted from
Jaded Heart and laid low for awhile. Now the "German
Bon Jovi" is back with a vengeance by appearing on a whopping four discs in a very short time frame. Maybe a bit overkill? Just a little. However his voice is one of the saving graces of this cd, so
Rain should count their blessings that they had him aboard. Otherwise, this could have turned out to be a real clunker of a cd. Not that that is a shining enough endorsement of its own to run out and purchase a copy or anything...
Rain is hard hitting
AOR and
"Stronger" is their second outing. An appealing cd, sure, but nothing groundbreaking. The songwriting is played on the safe side and every song is much like many others you have heard before. Daring,
Rain is not. But they do provide a decent scattering of material for an album that has a pleasant run. Not a memorable listen, but enjoyable. If bland vanilla music is what you are after then this is for you. The riffs are thick, the songs sometimes mirror a sludgier version of
Jaded Heart with a modern twisted heart. Not terrible, but world changing it definitely is not.
Opening with the crushing strains of
"Do You Like It", its easy to see that
Rain is aiming for a different audience this go round. The style is heavier, tighter and much more blistering in the bottom end than ever before. Bormann's vocals sound particularly nice, as he is a master at belting this genre, but even his expressive voice cannot save a disc that is destined to be a turkey. Carving that point home is the follower,
"Insobriety". This one keeps lapping the same chorus to infinity like a chicken with its head cut off. No aim or direction, the song runs itself into the ground by being tired and tedious. Not only that,
"Insobriety" crosses the fine line between repetitive and annoying. The brooding dark take was refreshing but ill used.
"
Get Over It" is
Bon Jovi crossed with the past few
Def Leppard albums, mainly looking at the Def track, "Paper Sun". Dark, and splattering down like a heavy rain, it comes off not bad, but with a dwindling handful of standout moments. Moody, brooding and edgy in its bite. This is the peak of the disc, as its all downhill from here.
"Deserve It" and
Bon Jovi/
Jaded Heart copy
"Flesh & Blood" offer up another duo of mid tempo noodling. The choruses are flat and the verses grind without any distinguishing features.
"Let Me Be Your Favorite" is very 80s but the fuzzy guitars are growling and warped. The chorus is actually pretty catchy and feels like an update on the old gang singing style. Not too bad overall.
"Crazy" is a
Bon Jovi done up all modern like with a laid back tempo, some flashbacks to
Great White here too in the guitar solo. Starting off like a stadium stomper,
"Lovesong" quickly deflates into another crawling track. It tugs on the heart strings but gets no response. The lyrics insist
"nobody wants an old love song", and judging by this track,
Rain was more right than they knew. Its corny and seems to know it. The song asks: *wink wink nudge nudge* get the joke? Nobody wants a lovesong but we are giving you one anyway by turning that complaint into another half hearted ballad... right. Quite cheeky, but lame attempts at being "cute" does not make a good song.
"I'd Die For You" is the sappy piano ballad that steals Jon Bon's title name but didn't bother leeching off a little of that blockbuster magic. Slow doesnt even begin to describe it.
"The Other Side" and
"Love Is By Your Side" are two more ballads, one being overly artificial, as if they were trying too hard to make it a "hit" for single consideration, the other is blandly acoustic. Just like most processed pop music on the radio.
The only emotion that sneaks through comes from Michael himself, with no responding indication of emotional involvement from the music itself. These all seem overly desperate for recognition yet lacking in the fundamentals that make music worth listening to. Its all so unoriginal to the point of downright boredom. If it wasn't for such stellar vocal deliveries across the board, this would just be a hopeless lineup of third rate material. All strung together in one cd that isn't a lengthy play but feels like a lifetime passes anyway.
"Stronger" is an album destined for pure indifference. Not a single song will blow your mind yet its not bad enough to send you scrambling for the off button. It is just "there". Pretty much dead average in general, and a couple of tracks even pulling it under that mark. The production is fair although a bit on the tinny side, the performances are good, but the album lacks spark, hooks and imagination. Its a paint-by-numbers affair by a washed out
Jaded Heart wannabe. Too many limp ballads and boring rockers that beat the same bush over and again. Despite the vocals of Bormann, and the chunkier take on a well worn formula,
"Stronger" is unremarkable and weak, causing this
Rain to evaporate as quickly as it falls.
Written by
Alanna Friday, December 1, 2006
Show all reviews by AlannaRatingsAlanna: 4.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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