Classic Rock Bottom

Night Ranger
Don't Let Up
Frontiers Music Srl - 2017
http://www.nightranger.com


It has taken me a while to get around to reviewing this CD despite buying it the week it came out. The reason for this delay can be traced directly to the first song that was posted online by the band prior to the album's release date. It was the track "Somehow Someway" and I just found myself not really liking the song for whatever reason. I guess it left me a little worried that the rest of the album might be just as disappointing as I felt this lead single turned out.


Then a funny thing happened on the way to the land of disappointment...I listened to the album. The sense of doom ended up disappearing from the start. I listened to "Somehow Someway" with a new ear and I found it to be a much more interesting song that I initially thought. It's an energetic rock and roll romp that ends up dragging you along for the ride. I have no idea why I couldn't get into the song the first time around.


Despite the band's sound being aimed towards a radio friendly melodic rock style, you will find that between guitarists Brad Gillis and Keri Kelli, there's so much in the way of blazing licks and riffs that any guitar aficionado will be satisfied with their playing. Kelli joined the band in 2014 as an official member, replacing Joel Hoekstra who left to join Whitesnake. He had played with the band in 2012 and 2013 as a substitute for Hoekstra.


The energetic opening track led directly into "Running Out of Time" which featured more of the charged rocking pace. There was no letdown in this song in the least.


However, when the song "Truth" starts playing, the band momentarily fell of the songwriting cliff. While still more of an uptempo song, there's just nothing that makes the individual components of the song come fully together and I thought this was a stodgy kind of letdown.
If you are looking for a straight up ballad from Night Ranger, the best you will get is "We Can Work It Out" which is fine enough I guess, but I don't think it will find its way to getting you to hit repeat on the song.


As I said, the guitars rule the day on this album and you have a multitude of options to get your six string fix. "Day and Night" blazes with some slick guitar work while the title track features a great hook of a chorus to coincide with the guitar lines. It took a couple of spins for me to fully grasp the song "Comfort Me" but it definitely has sublimely rocking vibe to it.


While Jack Blades, Kelly Keagy and Brad Gillis do the majority of the songwriting on Don't Let Up, Keri Kelli did co-write four tracks. Only keyboardist Eric Levy is left out of the songwriting, which is a bit surprising since keys play such a big part in the band's sound.


I mention the songwriting credits because I want to know whether it was Blades, Keagy or Gillis who came up with the atrociously bad choice in the backing vocal decision on "(Won't Be Your) Fool Again". The song would be an outstanding track that likely would've been my pick for best on the album if not for the aforementioned backing vocals that occur in the song's chorus. The cut has a gritty vocal take and a cool almost honky-tonk but edgy and uptempo feel to it. Then the chorus happens and the bottom falls out of the song for me. It was very disappointing to say the least.
So for me, the song that burned brightest on this album was "Say What You Want". From start to finish, the song crackles with fire and brimstone as it moves from one note, one vocal, one solo to the next.


By the way, the deluxe edition of the album (which is the version I obtained) comes with a bonus DVD that has the official music videos for the songs "Day And Night" and "Running Out of Time", as well as interviews with the band. The art design for the album and its liner notes booklet is pretty intriguing as well.


If you factor in the guitar work on this album, Don't Let Up is a very good album. The fact that a lot of that playing comes in the midst of some excellent songs only heightens the enjoyment of this album. I really enjoyed Night Ranger's previous album High Road, which was an album that started out a bit slow but after three years has really grown much higher in my estimation than my original rating of it. So for the follow up to that album, the bar was set admittedly a little higher. While I wasn't crazy about what I felt were musical mis-steps on a few songs, overall this was a pretty entertaining album when you look at just the high points.


Rating 3.9 out of 5.0

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Meh, I expect more out of a NR album.  Though I will say that I actually like We Can Work It Out.  Just posted it on CRB Facebook last night, as I listened to the album yesterday and today.  I think I'd have to rate it a couple of ticks below where you rated it.

Hey, that's fine. I don't have a monopoly on reviews here. :D

I have always found Night Ranger's music very hit or miss. I either really like it or can't stand it. This album, as you stated very well, has some great guitar work. It isn't their best, but is very listenable.

Thanks for reading and for the feedback Scandal!

And yes, I don't think it is their best either, but I will listen to this again.

This bands music always grows on you, the only song of there's that I liked on the first listen was Sing Me Away and maybe Goodbye, everything else?  takes time...  

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