Author: Jernej Vene
Artist: Night Ranger
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2014
Runtime: 54:30
Rating: 4/5
The gentlemen from San Francisco are among the champions of arena rock. Night Ranger have been swimming in musical waters for well over three decades now. Right on their first record, Dawn Patrol, they nailed down an incredibly successful formula: rich vocal harmonies, razor-sharp guitar playing built mostly on harmonized thirds, and choruses written for the ears of demanding and casual listeners alike. That lured plenty of listeners over to their side, and they’ve held on to them to this day. The music industry has its own rules, dictated by the suits. Night Ranger, too, rode the ups and downs caused by shifting musical fashions, which bowed to the dictates of money and power, with other genres being pushed into popularity. Like many similar bands, they were barely hanging on in the nineties. Their devotion to the muse and a literal obsession with creating got them through the dark times. Between the albums Seven (1998) and Hole In The Sun (2007) they were active live, and in recent years they’ve been back in the studio. It’s obvious that in their youth these guys listened to a lot of the Beatles and their contemporaries The Byrds and the Beach Boys. And even back then they realized you have to learn from the best, at least when it comes to vocal lines.
The title means you do your own thing, whatever the consequences. Night Ranger have always known how to do that, and in their later years they haven’t let up one bit. High Road is actually in a thankless position, because it has to fill the big shoes of its predecessor Somewhere in California. It’s of course well recorded and produced, and it tries to walk the fine line between accessible melodies and choruses that aren’t banal. Night Ranger win across the board here. It feels like they could have made better use of keyboardist Eric Levy, whose sound could have backed up the songs more in places. Then again, the solo spots have always been the domain of the guitar duo. Alongside Brad Gillis, that job used to belong to Jeff Watson, and since 2008 he’s been helped out by New Yorker Joel Hoekstra. Compared to Somewhere in California, High Road is a bit calmer thanks to the number of ballads, which isn’t a bad thing in the end. Maybe the best of the bunch is Only For You Only. Night Ranger know how to write this kind of music well, and above all they do it without outside help. Apart from Colin Blades, the bassist’s son, who helped out on the title track, everything else was written by the band members themselves. That backs up what they keep saying: they’re great friends, and making music is a pleasure for them, not a duty.
High Road manages to land in the top third of their catalog, and once again it hits the high standards we’ve come to expect from them. Since they obviously always write more songs than fit on a record, they had to make quite a few compromises this time too. What helps everyone here is a positive outlook on life, which is a big problem for many musicians.
Despite the familiar sound, High Road doesn’t wander around in nostalgia; it explores the punch of the musical ideas of seasoned veterans. You can say they’re true rock veterans who know how to serve things up. Another plus is that they combine two lead voices, supplied by bassist Blades and drummer Kelly Keagy. Even within strictly defined song structures, there’s still enough room for arrangement ideas to come to life. Whether it’s guitar lines or vocal melodies – some masters just know how, and can always find new and newer combinations of notes. And that, of course, is convincing. Longtime members Kelly Keagy, Jack Blades and Brad Gillis have decently carried their rock over into the new millennium. Keyboardist Levy and guitarist Hoekstra are so plugged into what’s going on that you’d never guess they’ve only been in the band a few years.
It’s the guitar playing in particular that thrills admirers of the instrument. Wishbone Ash, Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden are undoubtedly masters of twin harmonies, but they don’t have anything as precise and inventive as Night Ranger’s. Their concerts are a special experience too. These guys, well into their fifties, have energy even in their little toes, and they know how to pour it out into the crowd, which you can feel on the record as well. The shape of the songs convinces down to the smallest details. High Road is once again an honest, summery and completely genuine record from a band that has always stayed true to its vision.
Lineup
Kelly Keagy – vocals, drums
Brad Gillis – guitar, backing vocals
Jack Blades – bass guitar, vocals
Joel Hoekstra – guitar, backing vocals
Eric Levy – keyboards, backing vocals
Production
Night Ranger
Track list
01. High Road
02. Knock Knock Never Stop
03. Rollin’ On
04. Don’t Live Here Anymore
05. I’m Coming Home
06. X Generation
07. Only For You Only
08. Hang On
09. St. Bartholomew
10. Brothers
11. Mountain Song
