Search - Cinderella :: Night Songs

Cinderella's nobody's fool on their debut

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 06/10/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"At the same time Bon Jovi finally exploded on the scene with Slippery When Wet, they were also responsible for signing up Cinderella on their label, Mercury Records. Given the considerable softening of their sound on Slippery When Wet, it's no surprise that Cinderella's debut, Night Songs, rocked harder than that of their benefactors, with Tom Keifer's banshee-like voice and harmonies from the other members giving Cinderella an extra edge.



The title track, heralded by tolling bells, has a slow and steady that could fit home on a horror film soundtrack, but actually it's about a burned out trucker who needs the title songs to keep him going on a job that barely gets the bills paid and such.



The lead single, the one-night stand grindfest of "Shake Me" shows them getting in gear, with the team putting their signature sound of pounding skins and heavy guitars into tight rhythmic formation.



Equally as hard-driving was their third single, "Somebody Save Me," which paints a bleak picture of the American dream: "Put your money in a big house/Get yourself a pretty wife/She'll collect your life insurance/When she connects you with a knife." Those thinking of getting married-take heed to that. The despair can be further felt in the chorus, where the law of the jungle is melded with the urban jungle: "somebody save me, I lost my job, they kicked me out of my tree."



Their first foray into the charts came with the operatic power ballad "Nobody's Fool," replete with airy synths and blaring guitars, which peaked at #13 in 1987, one below peers Motley Crue with "Girls Girls Girls" and alongside Poison's "I Won't Forget You" that same year so that is a sign that metal was gaining entry into the heretofore unreachable charts.



If you have the urge to get that speedometer to three digits after listening "Hell On Wheels," I wouldn't fault you-just don't make any roadkill. The fast-paced guitars and drums shows the band at their fastest on their album. The been there done that "In From The Outside" has Jon Bon Jovi singing the first verse of the song before Tom Keifer takes over for the rest of the song.



The arena rock of "Back Home Again" is a tribute to finally making it big after years of hard work, and how being on stage when rolling into town makes one feel at home again.

A consistent sound provided Night Songs a kicker of a debut album for Keifer and company. They would make it bigger with their followup, Long Cold Winter."

They Deserved More

Ockham's Razor | Ohio, USA | 06/12/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Cinderella never got the recognition or exposure that they deserved -- especially this album. That's a shame, because they were (are) one of the most competent and musically worthwhile bands to come out of the 80's hard rock/metal/"hair" explosion.This is blues-based, whiskey-drenched rock 'n' roll at its finest. Check out Tom Keifer's raspy, almost-screeching howl (reminiscent of AC/DC's Brian Johnson but with a unique twist - more musical and versatile), the steamy metal/blues riffs....and the solo work of one of the more underrated 80's guitarists, Jeff LaBar.What attracted me most about this band (and still does) is that yes, they were lumped in with the glam hair-bands...but their music (and specifically this album) had a dark, ominous tinge to it...check out "Night Songs", "Save Me", and "Once Around The Ride"...and even in their more "party" songs, minor chords and a dark character surface. It gave their music a serious, threatening edge missing in alot of the output of that time. It's part of that delta blues heritage.Weaknesses on this album? The production was only adequate - the guitars were missing a bit of bite and the drums were thuddy - but that's ok given it was their debut. The only other point is that they tended to sound a bit similar in style to AC/DC or Def Leppard...listen to "Nobody's Fool" and you can practically hear Def Leppard's "Bringing on the Heartbreak" in the reverb! This is something they grew away from in their subsequent releases though.Good band...check 'em out, from this album to "Long Cold Winter" to "Still Climbing.""