Artist: Foreigner
Label: Ear Music Records
Release date: 2011
Rating: 4/5
So here’s “Acoustique And More”, which should have dropped right after “Can’t Slow Down”, because of everything the new lineup has put out, it nails the whole point of the band most convincingly. The entire presence, the essence, the charisma of Foreigner’s musical character, all in one place. “Acoustique and More” continues Foreigner’s trend of recycling their hits, with one twist: the guys decided to record the standard hits in acoustic dress. The title hints at that, though not at the full contents of this “three-story sandwich”. The second CD, which the second half of the title (“…And More”) refers to, features the classic hits freshly re-recorded in the studio, with the current lineup, in “updated” electric versions. On top of this CD duo, the guys have thrown in a new live DVD. That move carries on the tradition of the triple-CD version of “Can’t Slow Down” (2009), as well as the DVD/Blu-ray release “Rockin’ At The Ryman”, which came out this April.
The acoustic disc shows off the incredible strength of the band in its current incarnation. No need to repeat the obvious, but still. Behind all this stands a hell of a lot of mileage and defiance on the rock scene. Especially the newfound drive that sparkles in the agility of the band’s regular touring over the last few years. The new song The Flame Still Burns slots in beautifully among the classics and even has a string arrangement (violin is also added in the background of the hit Feels Like The First Time), but Foreigner approached the whole thing with great caution. No wild detours that would smell of improvised jams or any extra musical frills. In their “nakedness”, the acoustic versions dutifully follow the studio originals. The vocal approach of the sensational Kelly Hansen gains even more expressive depth in this kind of musical setting. Fool For You Anyway, from the new “Can’t Slow Down”, is a very welcome change of pace, and so is the hit Say You Will right after it, which Foreigner haven’t played at their live shows in recent years. Add a cover of Presley’s That’s All Right, which we shouldn’t take too seriously, and that’s pretty much it for the highlights on the first disc. It’s also worth noting that the band would rather “cut” a song with a fade-out at the end than let the ending build into an improvised crescendo (Double Vision, Feels Like The First Time). That’s not exactly the standard approach you’d expect from an “unplugged” version.
The second CD, with the classics played anew in the studio by the new lineup, opens with the brand-new Save Me, which keeps the signature Foreigner pragmatism: crafted, grabby, compact hooks with the peak in the chorus! The guys are clearly still packing creative dynamite, which bodes well for the next studio album. Only on that track, though, Mark Schulman doesn’t play drums, which again hints that the guy only helped the band out on the latest tour and that the band doesn’t plan to make him a permanent member. Otherwise, the remaining songs once again lack some of the magic you get at the band’s live shows. You can’t fault the material, though. It’s played flawlessly, and the band has routinely captured the warmth, flexibility and dynamics of a live feel in the studio. Everything works very convincingly, in a way that makes it clear that only Foreigner are capable of reviving their own classics like this. Once again Kelly Hansen proves that the songbook of Lou Gramm and Mick Jones got into his blood a long time ago, and that he’s one of the best classic rock singers on the planet right now. The fade-out syndrome is still there on most of the songs. One of the most interesting contrasts to the acoustic version comes from Long Long Way From Home, which, in a groove full of pure Foreigner magic, is superbly complemented by Gimbel’s woodwinds, especially the way he fans the “erogenous” zone with a tenor sax.
But if you want to meet the band’s true rock side, only the live DVD will fully satisfy you. It’s the perfect patch and compensation for the feeling that the band deliberately kept a foot on the brake when reviving the studio versions (both CDs). As mentioned, the studio versions are stripped of the usual improvisational acrobatics that go off so hard when Foreigner are on stage, and the fade-out trick is annoying too. In that sense, the live DVD actually rescues this release, adding the dimension (visuals included) that brings the power and presence of today’s Foreigner fully home to the listener. It includes the excellent, more recent ballad When It Comes To Love, which only partly makes up for the neglect of the great studio material from “Can’t Slow Down” on this DVD (luckily, the acoustic version of In Pieces, added as bonus material on the DVD, softens the blow a little).
The footage itself is fantastic. Shot with at least four cameras: the first up front on the balcony at the very back, the second on the left balcony, the third on the right balcony, and of course one on the stage. So you won’t miss a thing. Relaxed and with an incredible amount of routine, Kelly Hansen once again stuns with unbelievable vocal flexibility. Sonic and performance perfectionism “par excellence”, which few bands on the planet can match today. If you happened to catch the band at one of this year’s European shows, you got to enjoy Can’t Slow Down and That Was Yesterday instead of When It Comes To Love and Blue Morning, Blue Day. So we Europeans got a better setlist than the Americans and this DVD! Otherwise it’s exactly the same staging, with the play of spotlights and video projections on a giant monitor mounted in the background, which makes a lovely keepsake for every fan who caught Foreigner live this year. Flawless. It keeps up the outstanding quality of the live releases “Rockin’ At The Ryman” and the extra live DVD that came with the expanded edition of the studio album “Can’t Slow Down”.
The bonus acoustic live versions of In Pieces and Double Vision, played in front of an interesting German audience in a baroque chandelier hall, put Foreigner on stage as a quartet, with three guitars and Kelly on vocals, and show the listener yet another musical face of the band!
After all this, it’s clear Foreigner didn’t need any more compilations (“No End In Sight”,..), live DVDs or live CDs, because “Acoustique And More” captures the band’s face in the new millennium about as well as anything could. You really can’t get much closer than this. The release is aimed at hardcore Foreigner fans. And yet. It’s also highly recommended for anyone just getting to know the band, because it shows off their strength in unplugged form, in the studio, and on stage, all in great shape! It’s also for those of you who don’t like compilations and are counting on one day completing your Foreigner collection with the studio albums, which “Acoustique & More” will round off nicely, like the cherry on top. But suma sumarum, don’t lose sight of the point. It’s a (to some extent) predictable commercial trick, but one that’s worth the (optional) investment. Guys! Get back in the studio and record a new studio album already!
Lineup
CD1:
Kelly Hansen – vocals, percussion
Mick Jones – acoustic guitar, vocals on track no. 7, backing vocals
Jeff Pilson – bass guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, backing vocals, string arrangement for track no. 3
Tom Gimbel – acoustic guitar, saxophones, flute, backing vocals
Michael Bluestein – keyboards, backing vocals
Mark Schulman – drums, percussion
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Gilmar Gomes – percussion
Stevie Blackie – viola, violin solo on track no. 10
Jakob Szekely – cello
Erika Walczak – violin
Lisa Dondlinger – violin
CD 2.:
Kelly Hansen – vocals
Mick Jones – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Jeff Pilson – bass guitar, guitar, backing vocals
Tom Gimbel – guitar, saxophones, flute, backing vocals
Michael Bluestein – keyboards, backing vocals
Mark Schulman – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Jeff Jacobs – keyboards
Paul Mirkovich – keyboards
Jason Bonham – drums
Samantha Ronson- synthesizer on track no. 1
Jimmy Messer – guitar, programming on track no. 1
Aaron Sterling – drums on track no. 1
Dukedale Gil Ellis Choir – choir vocals on track no. 11
DVD:
Kelly Hansen – vocals, percussion
Mick Jones – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals on track no. 8
Jeff Pilson – bass guitar, backing vocals
Tom Gimbel – guitar, saxophones, flute, backing vocals
Michael Bluestein – keyboards, backing vocals
Mark Schulman – drums
Production
Jeff Pilson & Mick Jones
Tracklist
CD 1. “Acoustique”:
1. Long, Long Way From Home
2. Cold As Ice
3. The Flame Still Burns “Brand new song!”
4. Double Vision
5. Fool For You Anyway
6. Say You Will
7. Starrider
8. Waiting For A Girl Like You
9. Feels Like The First Time
10. Juke Box Hero
11. That’s All Right
CD 2. “Juke Box Heroes”
1. Save Me
2. Feels Like The First Time
3. Cold As Ice
4. Long, Long Way From Home
5. Hot Blooded
6. Double Vision
7. Head Games
8. Dirty White Boy
9. Urgent
10. Waiting For A Girl Like You
11. I Want To Know What Love Is
12. Juke Box Hero
DVD “Live In Chicago”:
1. Double Vision
2. Head Games
3. Cold As Ice
4. Waiting For A Girl Like You
5. Blue Morning, Blue Day
6. Dirty White Boy
7. When It Comes To Love
8. Starrider
9. Feels Like The First Time
10. Urgent
11. I Want To Know What Love Is
12. Hot Blooded
13. Juke Box Hero
plus:
1. Double Vision
2. In Pieces “Behind The Scenes” – Interview with the band in Chicago
