Artist: Keagy, Kelly
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2007
Kelly Keagy! Don’t worry, he’s not a member of The Kelly Family. He’s the Night Ranger drummer with a knack for singing, back with his second solo studio album, following his debut “Time Passes” (2001). This time the man declares that he’s alive (“I’m Alive”, 2007). Incredible discovery, right? But what does that mean in musical terms? Is his new album “alive” too?
The debut was a damn fine thing. It was Night Ranger through and through, and it handed the band’s fans something they’d badly missed. It was even more Night Ranger than Night Ranger themselves ever were. Already on “Time Passes” Keagy teamed up with former Survivor man Jim Peterik (Pride Of Lions), and on “I’m Alive” Jim Peterik’s creative touch is saddled up even more firmly.
Otherwise, “I’m Alive” is a completely logical follow-up to “Time Passes”, pretty much what you’d expect. The only question was whether the new album reaches the quality of the debut. And the answer? Easily. And then some. It does. The sound and style of the debut remain Keagy’s guiding principle and legacy on “I’m Alive” too.
Is there any departure from the debut on the album? We’ve mentioned one already: Jim Peterik’s bigger role in shaping the new songs. The other is a livelier, rawer, more classic sound that the guys captured in the studio. Not by accident, but on purpose. So, more natural, more homey! A welcome change that, compared to the polished sheen of “Time Passes”, brings a bit of difference despite the same template-style design, and that difference is actually needed.
Over a good five years a whole pile of ideas piled up, and Peterik and Keagy, two guys who are the right address for brilliant hooks in AOR and melodic hard rock, didn’t let us down this time either. The chemistry between them works, and it results in songs that are extremely accessible and still impress despite their well-chewed formulas. These two simply know how to win you over. The album carries all three basic types of songs: mid-tempo, bouncier numbers, and of course, no way it was going to happen without ballads this time either. The coined phrase “I’m Alive” is very subjective, though! It was spoken straight from Keagy’s mouth. The lyrics are naively childish, very American. Everything is nice, good, flowers can bloom even out of gray concrete, and there’s nothing lovelier than a noon alarm in the middle of Los Angeles warning of a state of emergency, telling the city’s residents to retreat indoors because the permitted concentration of dissolved ozone and nitrogen oxides in the air has been exceeded, pollutants released into the air during the combustion of gases in big cities. So the USA is paradise on Earth, in case you didn’t know. Even in the second millennium of the Lord’s reckoning! Heads up, then! Naivety, even sappiness, is right here. And old-school Europeans are finding it harder and harder these days to be convinced by American “sincerity” in their intentions and deeds (with rare exceptions). Night Ranger just aren’t Exodus or Slayer. Keagy, in his awareness of his own aliveness (“I’m Alive”), is nowhere near grounded.
As said. This album carries all the trademarks of Night Ranger and Keagy’s debut. It has consistency, well-crafted songs! Reb Beach (Whitesnake, Winger) sawed off the solos himself, acoustic touches and Hammond organ touches have been added to the album, in short, the songs are polished and convincingly expressive. In the melodic hard rock and AOR genre, this is a high-quality product, and Keagy has met expectations. For those of you who don’t know Night Ranger, a bit of caution before investing in Keagy’s second solo album definitely won’t hurt.
And last but not least, you rarely come across such an ugly cover. Any Earthling who has the gift of sight (and insight) can see right away that “I’m Alive” could easily compete for first prize in the category of ugliest album covers of 2007, and it could also be used for a new sequel to the kids’ feature film “Monsters, Inc.”!
Lineup
Kelly Keagy – vocals, drums, guitar, percussion, backing vocals
Jim Petrik – guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Reb Beach – guitar (solos)
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Mike Aquino – guitar
Brian Bart – guitar
Bruce Gaitsch – guitar
Tommy Denander – guitar
George Hawkins – bass guitar
Michael Lardie – keyboards
Kent Slucher – drums
Mike Behymer – Hammond B-3 organ
Production
Kelly Keagy & Jim Peterik
Track list
1. I’m Alive
2. Stolen
3. Blink of an Eye
4. When Nobody’s Looking
5. Back of Your Mind
6. Life Worth Remembering
7. Re-Imagine
8. World Before and After
9. Where Are We Now
10. Where the Road Ends
11. Everything I Need in a Woman
12. Call In Another Day
13. Half A World Away
Album length: 61.23
