The
Review |
Now what really entitles a band to be a 'super group,'
most will tell you that it is the membership of musicians
of different established bands coming together to collaborate
on a record; but as well all know that sometimes t becomes
a match made in hell. The Mob fortunately comes forth as a
group that is worthy of the name. Somewhat of a Reb Beach
project, The Mob features Doug Pinnick on vocals, Night Ranger
drummer Kelly Keaggy, Whitesnake keyboardist Timothy Drury,
as well as guest musician and producer Kip Winger on bass
(Doug puts down his axe for this one), fairly diverse group
of members, but together, it works. ***
The record is a harmonic ride into the world of melodic
hard rock/metal, and of course elements of all the bands are
present (but when it comers to the Winger similarities, the
album 'Pull' comes to mind), offering up the riffage and songs
that make up such as divine collection of music, not to mention
that it really gives Beach a time to really shine as an axeman,
something that he might have been restrained from at times
in his days with Winger, Whitesnake, or Dokken, and it is
a band unit, rather than a solo record. ***
All the material on the record represents a whole plethora
of the AOR scope of things, there are sophisticated rock tracks
such as the Journey-ish 'I Will Follow,' the driving groove
of 'Never Get Enough,' and the haunting 'Wait' where guitar
solos and anthem choruses are provided at high levels. There
is more subdued pop balladry, particularly with 'The Magic'
(where Keagy takes the lead vocal stage) and 'Turn to Stone'
offering up a more subdued side to the record, where the energy
remains high, but yet harnessed to the otherwise full throttle
that the album possesses. Proving that hard rock is still
alive, The Mob certainly delivers.
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