Tony Harnell assembled some musicians who are not exactly rockers and were largely unfamiliar with the songs here. He wanted them to reinvent them as they would after just listening, and this is the result of that little experiment.
Tony Harnell's Mercury Train is born and
"Round Trip" is the disc name. While acoustic based remakes and the ex-
TNT singer are no strangers with each other (as evidenced by the lovely Morning Wood project that was released in the early 1990s), the previous outing in such similiar surroundings was never as radical as this. The songs have been twisted up, mashed together with various genres and set free to see if they fly or crash. Some tracks are just interpreted to giddy perfection, such as
"10K Lovers" which may very well outshine the original by a generous margin. Others don't seem to fare as well, as
"Satellite" misplaces much of what made it work in the first place.
However with a disc that is daring to take beloved staples and mess with them to such extreme degrees, there is always going to be equally varying opinions. The bottom lines here are not many, but simply two. First off,
Tony Harnell sounds absolutely godly, without his shining star and mesmerizing voice this would be absolutely nothing. There would be no disc. He is that integral to this production, as noted by his name getting in the forefront and top billing. He is a necessity and every single song gives new reasons as to why. Secondly, love it or hate it,
"Round Trip" is undeniably terribly creative, and is guaranteed to throw some loops and toss some curves that the listener would likely never anticipate.
TNT's "10,000 Lovers" has been reshaped into a completely different beast, a pop metal staple shedding its skin, transforming into a sexier, sleeker beast called
"10K Lovers". There are so many elements at play here, from slinky jazz to Doo-Wop, Spanish frills and a little bit of pop, but instead of clashing, as it could easily have blown up into a terribly confusing mess - it has been blended into this ultra smooth mid tempo piece that flaunts class and eager-to-please style.
Tony Harnell purrs through the lyrics with a lovely sensuality. From the breathy opening to the feathered last notes as the song trails off into its end, he is an absolutely captivating force, hitting the higher notes beautifully. Midnight music that gets the fire burning... endlessly.
"Northern Lights" is an elegant ballad, soft and fluttery and relying on the more delicate of emotions. It lacks the surge that the original played up in the chorus, and replaces it with a vocal driven daydream.
"Uninvited" is dark and strange, with the light of the vocals leading you through this labyrinth of strange and twisted emotions. The mood is so thick, you could cut it with a knife and serve it on plates, though it doesn't have the exotic appeal the track from
Westworld's "Skin" had (which in turn was a cover of an Alanis Morissette song).
"Anywhere But Here" is given a psychedelic jumpstart, that treats the listener to a lush, soul dividing breakdown, while
"Satellite" is almost unrecognizable, stripped down into a jangly acoustic number.
"Lonely Nights" keeps its terrific chorus intact, the twists being mostly acoustic in nature. Harnell's vocals are bursting with melody and presence, making this delightful no matter what liberties are taken. The short warped solo seems the perfect fit for the new face the song wears.
"Shame" from the
Westworld debut, shares mostly the same approach, and its alternative views are enough to keep it a highly entertaining take on a familiar track. The vocals are are simply divine, especially the dramatic closing.
The toned down approach to
"Ready to Fly" sends wicked signals. Female vocals on the chorus give a contrast to Harnell who blends and sets himself apart from them at a moment's whim. The slow, stalking manner in which the song unfolds is hauntingly teasing, but ultimately pleases, with its heavy handed thrumming guitars, spectral lead vocals and lazy, dark rhythms.
"Intuition" has slipped into an acoustic track that maintains its pacing from the source track. You could easily cut all the instrumentation out of this and just listen to the vocals a capella. That is all this song needs, simply Harnell singing the melodies and shaping the lyrics into his kind of magic, to be an entrancing track. As it is, the acoustic backing instrumentation seems a bit clunky for such a sparkling vocal.
The artsy silkiness captures the soul of
"Month of Sundays". Another great little piece is caught up in the crazy craving of love, all for the bonus track,
"When I'm Away", which has this fun, simplified upbeat feel and a joyous vocal. It is far too good to be an extra add-on and the album works much better with it than without it. This should have replaced one of the moodier gloomier tracks, and given back some balance. If you managed to snag a copy with this bonus though, you are in for quite the treat.
"Round Trip" is a very different viewpoint for a dozen-plus songs from Harnell's catalogue. These are so stylized that the disc is likely to not fall into the trap of being too close to mimicking the originals. It has enough of the breath of fresh air to be worthwhile as a standalone new product. Those that are familiar with Harnell,
TNT or the songs within in general, will be quite surprised at what unique deviations have been taken. This is what elevates it from beyond a mere tribute, rehash, remake or "acoustic do-over" album, and that would be a sly hand at the reshaping controls and an endless supply of creativity. Uniquely strange, but not so estranged that it feels out of place and a world away.
Written by
Alanna Wednesday, June 30, 2010
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