"Hole In the Sun" is the first
Night Ranger album to come to fruition in a very long time, and it may very well be the last having the original lineup somewhat intact. Alot of people are awaiting this anxiously, and some may be disappointed. Make no mistake though, no matter what kind of slander this disc is wrung through in the next several months, it is still a very good album. One that sounds fresh, quite modern, yet fittingly so. It lays on the modern feel in thick layers, but
Night Ranger handles the stylistic tweakings at times with natural class. Other songs its a complete disaster. There are punk-ish moments, songs that could have been lifted off of any number of pop stars' discs, but the cream of the crop are never obnoxious, and rarely render an out of place feeling (a case could be made for the stray track or two that takes things too much to the extreme end of the spectrum). Every song doesn't ring out as a superb example of rock's finest, nor
Night Ranger's best, but atleast they are streamlined and seem to have themselves worked out decently enough for the most part.
"Hole" is also a very much a guitar oriented album, the dual axe attack of Brad Gillis and Jeff Watson is utilized to its utmost potential. Hot licks dominate some tracks such as
"Drama Queen" to the extreme. Overtaking the song, its like one guitar solo lined up after another. Electric guitars just sizzle, turning into a metallic string bending extravaganza.
Opinion charged debates fire up the message boards every time a well loved band changes their established sound. This likely is occurring again for this album, but for those that remember, even their past disc, "Neverland" in 1995 was a huge departure from the synth driven power pop of their 80s releases like "7 Wishes" and "Man in Motion". But once more, it must be stated that the classic sound remains intact, even through all the tweakings and updates. You are required to sift through alot of modern sludgy nonsense sometimes, but that feeling is always buried there... somewhere.
A track by track analysis reveals
"Hole in the Sun" to be a top heavy disc. Starting off sturdy, solid and strong, it peaks on the lighters-in-the-air ballad
"There Is Life" and then begins its slow descent, fizzling out as the songs keep rolling along.
Opener
"Tell Your Vision" comes out crackling, using both
Kelly Keagy and Jack Blades to belt the tune. They trade back and forth, Kelly fired up with an inner rage that blows through the verses with a fierce ease, and Jack's parts being slick and melted in strangeness. The chorus comes off short and sweet. Big harmonies, a familiar sense about the whole production wrapped up in that "now" sound.
"Drama Queen" has already been noted for its exceptional guitar theatrics.
"Gonna Hear From Me" stomps as a fire edgy rocker with great double barreled guitar sounds. This is
Night Ranger's heaviest song yet, and has a distinct aggressive modern feel. The chorus is a stickler since it repeats itself a little too much. Other than that, its a heavyweight of a tune that keeps the rock vibe spinning at full charge.
"Whatever Happened" has a gritty punk attitude that seems more fitted to venomous vixen pop rockers like Avril Lavigne or Pink.
Night Ranger grips the commercialism of the track and slams it down with forceful axe slinging and a catchy chorus.
"There is Life" is the soft spot, a ballad drunk on the pop past. Unfortunately its just kinda "there", missing the emotion and fading interest.
Waters start to get murky here on out.
"Rock Star" has some clever lyrics, and a raw, exposed vocal from both Kelly and Jack that's spat out in a rapid rap-like spoken approach. Some weirdly funky acoustic sections that clang out amidst the rumbling modern punk rock atmosphere is quite oft putting. Not sure how this one is going to sit with fans or newcomers alike. A very strange piece that somehow works in the framework of the cd, yet is not one worth revisiting.
"Hole in the Sun" has a chorus that reaches out, grabs you and drags you right through. Fuzzy growling guitars compliment the ringing acoustic, and a underlying old Ranger feel prevails underneath it all.
"Fool In Me" is quite the opposite of that title track. A simple acoustic song featuring breezy percussion, Kelly's twice-bitten vocals and a lovey theme. This takes a few replays to either "get" or out-and-out reject.
"White Knuckle Ride" is dark, heavy and aggressive. Guitars growl and the chorus is psychedelically harsh. Swirling, dizzying and like a mix of Dokken's "Dysfunctional" and Saigon Kick's "Water". This also requires an open mind to digest properly, but those that give it time will be rewarded with a fairly meaty tune to dissect.
The last few songs end the album on a rather weak note.
"Revelation 4AM" comes off as sludgy until the chorus. The choruses are often the saving graces for this disc. Catchy and streamlined, they make or break "Hole in the Sun" more often than not. So it goes with
"Wrap It Up", a snappy riff packed up tempo rocker. Quick pacing, a bouncing, feverish chorus and some great vocals go a long way. That modern possessed theme is crawling all over the track but isnt overly intrusive. The final blip on the
Night Ranger radar is the snoozefest
"Being". Another acoustic ballad, its a real laid back piece, to the point of being coma inducing. One of these an album is acceptable, but a second run around is really pushing it. From a disc that sports such rebellious attitudes, hot fire punkish rockers and an unapologetic "big" ballad - the ending is rather nondescript.
All in all,
"Hole in the Sun" is a slice of hard rock served up in a commercial friendly modern way that's kind of raw in the middle. It may not invoke the keyboard blissful feelings that the 80s incarnation of the band did, but its still undeniably
Night Ranger. Hell, the keyboards are mostly absent. You get some piano tinkerings here and there but as for an all out synth explosion laid out, it just doesn't exist.
Night Ranger without the keys? How ever do they get by? They are well aware of the pulse that makes this outfit's heart beat differently than any other, and have kept true to that sound. Loud, proud and biting back with attitude,
"Hole" also makes a claim for the guitar lovers. The six string beast is let loose to tear and claw through the songs like a wild animal. It's a big plus for the disc.
Unfortunately there are moments when their elements fail to come together in a pleasing way. This was bound to happen seeing as how many boundaries are pushed as they go overboard in taking things to the next level. There are enough good songs here to save the disc, but older fans of
Night Ranger may feel disillusioned, if not completely feeling left out in the cold. They might want to sit it out with the keyboardist (who is underused and nonexistent). Michael Lardie is getting no love on this disc as a member, that's for sure.
Night Ranger is not the same band as they used to be, but after such an extensive gap between albums, it was ludicrous to expect otherwise.
Written by
Alanna Saturday, May 5, 2007
Show all reviews by AlannaRatingsAlanna: 5.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
This article has been shown 3720 times. Go to the
complete list.
