Now I understand what the fuss about Graham Bonnet was all about. Sniggering at the cliche album title, and fully expecting another early 80's hard rock cheese fest, what I found was an intelligent and classy hard rock gem, featuring none other than Yngwie Malmsteen on axe duty. More Deep Purple than Motley Crue, the songs gleam with a fierce (if somewhat stodgy)intelligence. Bonnet's soulful vocals are full of understated(!) nuance and range. His lyrics are unpretentiously poetic, eschewing party hardy themes for grown-up ones. You will find Yngwie at his most restrained(to a point....this is Yngwie, after all), his guitar work adding fire and grace to rest of the band's serviceable but undistinguished rocking out. This album might be missing some of that dumb but exciting pop/rock sensibility that made early 80's hard rock so fun, since there are no obvious hits or anthems. They make up for it with depth and passion. You definitely could have done worse at the discount bin in the late 80's, when I first noticed this album but skipped over in favor of sub-par Quiet Riot or Twisted Sister outings. What was I thinking!?!?!
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
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