Man, this guy never runs out of great tunes
Perry M. Koons | Crownsville, MD United States | 02/23/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Harry Hess is better known as the lead singer for Canada's classic melodic rock band Harem Scarem. Scarem pretty much releases an album every year, and they are always outstanding, so how Hess found time for a solo record I'll never know. Anyway, his melodic gift is in full force here, and the tunes are pretty similar to the Harem style with a bunch of random pop influences thrown in. A good buy for anyone familiar with Harem, as well as any melodic rock fans who don't mind a little bit of pure pop mixed into their hard rock. Probably one of the top 5 pop rock tracks of the year with "Look Right Through Me," also.
Best Tracks:
"Look Right Through Me" - A stunning modern pop rock tune with a cool slide guitar riff vaguely reminiscent of Badfinger (masters of sad/happy dynamics). Great lyrics too - the implied double meaning of the word "clear" as something easy to see and impossible to see. Love it!
"Everybody" - Harry takes a bit of the old Cheap Trick vibe and a bit of Jellyfish backing vocals and tosses them in his AOR stew. Fresh and fun.
"Just Another Day" - A nice tech-y pop song that would fit right in on Def Leppard's latest, X. Good but different...
"Why" - The most rocking track here. Upbeat, catchy as hell and fun lyrics. A lot like "If You..." from Harem's Weight of the World record.
"Sentimental Blvd." - Originally a Harem classic tune sung by drummer Darren Smith, Harry's take is awesome as well. I have the feeling that Lemmy could sing this song and it would still be catchy."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1