THE LOU GRAMM BAND - review added 5th June 2009
Album Review: The Lou Gramm Band (2009)
For fans of: Hard Rock... and blatantly Christian lyrics
I have to say I hadn't realised how overtly Christian The Lou Gramm band's music was until I heard this album. From what I had read, I was assuming it was religious in the same way as someone like Rob Rock - the words are there if you choose to interpret them that way, but they can mean whatever you want if you don't.
However, TLGB (as we shall call them) wear their beliefs on their sleeves in big neon letters. This is up there with bands like Stryper for out and out prophesising and praising The Almighty.
Before we even go down the path of looking at how good the music is, we therefore need to stop at the 'God hurdle' and have a ponder. If you dislike religion and what it stands for you probably aren't going to like this record. It wouldn't matter how good the production and performances were because the lyricising is instantly going to p*ss you off and put you off.
In some ways I wouldn't blame you. Any music that focuses heavily on a particular subject is going to narrow it's market and turn away a lot of listeners. I wouldn't want to listen to an album that droned on about the glory of farm machinery, and equally I'm not overly interested in a constant barrage of God-bigging-up. I have no problem whatsoever with people singing about their beliefs, but listening to it simply isn't my thing. Therefore this is a difficult record for me to rate objectively.
However, almost going to the extent of blocking out the meaning of the words and listening to the quality of the musicianship and song construction, things are far more rosy. If you don't give a monkey's what the meaning of the words is, or even better if you like a bit of Christian rock, this record could be rather special. It tells its stories in a no bullsh*t way and says it how it is without resorting (too often) to unnecessary slushy nonsense.
Lou's voice sounds, whilst perhaps not as good as in his heyday, not far off. The satin beauty is still there, and those passionate inflections still leak from his mouth every now and then. First track 'Baptized By Fire' shows his talents in a sparkling light. The chorus isn't as dramatic is it should have been, but the song as a whole has a comfy armchair vibe and wonderful production.
'Made To Be Broken' has a finely balanced keyboard/guitar sound. It's an upbeat track with a Journey-esque feel in places. The chorus is a real sing-out-loud number and, much like the first track, the lyrical meaning is not as manifest as some of the later tracks. As the title may suggest, 'That's The Way God Planned It' is straight to the point in the story it tells. It's more or less a soft rock gospel track with the sort of words you'll find in a lively clap-along sermon. It's a crazily contagious track that'll you'll suddenly find yourself humming to a few hours later.
'So Great' is also a fine sounding track - a very fine sounding track actually. It's up there with some of the better Foreigner tracks for catchiness and silky-smooth quality. The only downside is the unnecessary use of the 'Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep' poem which any rock fan worth their salt will instantly relate to Metallica's 'Enter Sandman'. It spoils the track and is a strange reference point for an otherwise impossibly fantastic song.
'Redeemer' has a vintage Aerosmith feel in parts. It's a relatively slow, simple and repetitive track with a mesmerising main concept. Fans of Unreal Tournament can always pretend the track is about their favourite weapon, which is a nice bonus. The final track, a dei-ballad entitled 'You Save Me', sounds lovely. The combination of vocals, keyboards and rhythms is almost magical. Unfortunately, the choir toward the end sounds completely off key, but it's a small complaint for an otherwise great track.
This eponymous album by TLGB is bordering on stunning. It has it's moments of cr*pness, but the end result is still way above average. If religious wordings don't worry you I really do recommend the album. It has a great sound, solid performances (especially from Don Mancuso on guitar and Andy Knoll on keyboards) and a bright harmonious production.
However, and this is a however with a massive capital 'H' and a psychedelically flashing background behind it, if you can't live with Bible praising God-adoration you need to steer clear of this like you'd steer clear of an angry bull with a four barrel machete.
It really is that straight cut.
Check out... 'So Great'. Just pretend the silly children's poem isn't in there.
Track List:
01. Baptized By Fire
02. Made To Be Broken
03. Willing To Forgive
04. That's The Way Planned It
05. I Wanna Testify
06. So Great
07. Redeemer
08. Single Vision
09. Rattle Yer Bones
10. You Saved Me
Label: Frontiers Records
Artist's websites: The Lou Gramm Band , MySpace
