Author: Jernej Vene
Artist: Foreigner
Label: Atlantic Records
Release: 2009
Runtime: 48.59
Rating: 3.7/5
Foreigner are one of the biggest names in melodic rock from the late seventies and almost the entire eighties. The man most responsible for their success is the only original member left, guitarist and main songwriter Mick Jones. Foreigner put out their last studio album, Mr. Moonlight, in 1994, and their luck has been pretty up and down ever since. Kelly Hansen is already the third singer in Foreigner, following Lou Gramm. At times he sounds a bit like Rick Springfield, but it’s honestly incredible how much he resembles Gramm and how closely he matches him in both delivery and tone. Mick Jones spent quite a while looking for a new singer, and since America is big, he found one. The wow factor fades a bit here, especially if we remember that years ago, despite Slovenia’s small size, the band Pop Design found Miha Hercog as an almost identical replacement for Vili Resnik.
The new songs came together between tours, which kept the band alive. Interestingly, the Brit Jones quickly came up with a concept for the music, which he sold to the Americans at the peak of stadium rock and polished hard rock for grown-ups. The dilemma of making music for yourself or for your wallet doesn’t even come up here. After years of waiting, Foreigner’s Can’t Slow Down is a very solid album for longtime listeners. Perhaps even more than before, there’s a strict split between two worlds: the rocking one and the mushy one. Love is an eternal theme in music, and Foreigner are no different. Most of the lyrics deal with it, constantly telling stories about relationships between the sexes, mutual misunderstanding and the search for the one, the perfect person. Mick Jones of course backs his music up with violins and saxophones, which he’s used successfully throughout his career. Can’t Slow Down also exists as a triple pack containing the new songs, ten freshly remastered old hits and a DVD of touring footage from 2009. Like many of the old guard of proven rockers, Foreigner decided to sell this package at one of the biggest retail chains in the US for a bargain price. They could have added even more to the second disc of old hits, but for that money, that’s apparently that. In a time of poor sales for physical releases, this move proved to be the right one for Foreigner too. Much like Journey, Foreigner haven’t lost listeners through all their years of studio inactivity, and their popularity, and with it their finances, are decently on the rise in tough times for the music business.
Yearning, suffering lyrics always work like balm on the disappointed and downcast everyman, who on top of an uncertain tomorrow, climate change and lousy pay is also getting hammered by bad luck in love. Mick Jones also showed a good nose and solid know-how as a producer. He’s also been the stepfather of the famous producer Mark Ronson for the last few years, best known for working with Amy Winehouse. On Can’t Slow Down, Mark helped out on the song Fool For you Anyway. It’s an unusual creation for Foreigner, with Jones venturing into territory usually covered by, say, Hall & Oates, meaning white soul with a hint of funk. Mark Ronson clearly had a big influence on it. So, a field Foreigner had never ventured into before.
On Foreigner’s Can’t Slow Down, the sound quality of the new recordings is undeniable, and Marti Frederiksen has earned his reputation as a master in this area. Maybe a few reservations in the end about the track Too Late, which clearly doesn’t fit with the rest of the material. But that’s only a technical point, not one of artistic value. Mick Jones is a master of simple, easygoing melodies and flawless arrangements. In short, he’s created songs where everything is in its place. I figure few listeners approach music so analytically that they’d go nitpicking every track or remixing it their own way. Can’t Slow Down is a record for devoted fans. It won’t bring back the old glory, but I doubt that glory ever went away.
Lineup
Kelly Hansen – vocals
Mick Jones – guitar, piano, backing vocals
Thom Gimbel – guitar, saxophone, backing vocals
Michael Bluestein – keyboards
Jeff Pilson – bass
Brian Tichy – drums
Production
Mick Jones, Marti Frederiksen, Mark Ronson
Tracklist
1. Can’t Slow Down 3:28
2. In Pieces 3:53
3. When It Comes to Love 3:54
4. Living In a Dream 3:43
5. I Can’t Give Up 4:32
6. Ready 3:43
7. Give Me a Sign 3:52
8. I’ll Be Home Tonight 4:14
9. Too Late 3:45
10. Lonely 3:29
11. As Long As I Live 3:48
12. Angel Tonight 3:32
13. Fool For You Anyway 4:04
