Artist: Turner, Joe Lynn
Label: MTM Records
Release: 2003
Rating: 3.5/5
The incorrigible old tomcat Joe Lynn Turner has gone back to his tried-and-true recipe. He stayed on home turf, where he’s naturally strongest and most self-assured. So he served up a record stylistically closest to Deep Purple, Whitesnake and Rainbow, with a dash of the most important spice of all, the one that gives it a unique, recognizable stamp from a mile away. A pinch and the finishing touch without which no solo album of his is imaginable! Himself. Or in other words, that distinctive rusty, leathery voice. So the new album delivers exactly what his fans could wish for, and what it says right on the cover.
Joe Lynn has gathered a colorful crew of outstanding session musicians around him, and the name that undoubtedly stands out is Al Pitrelli. Al has worked with acts like Savatage, Asia and Alice Cooper, so he’s a session guitarist who can play pretty much anything that comes to mind, and play it with full feel. Most of the guitar riffing comes from Al Pitrelli, and a few of the solo spots are his too. Here’s the next exciting bit of news for Savatage fans: the solo on the opening In Cold Blood is reeled off by none other than Savatage’s main axeman, Chris Caffery. The solo is short, but it has those trademark steely, high-flying, razor-sharp guitar licks up and down the fretboard that season pretty much every Chris solo.
The bass line is pleasantly grooving across the whole album. The guitars are louder and pushed a bit further forward in the production than what Joe Lynn and Glenn Hughes offered together on the Hughes Turner Project record “II.” (2003). The Hammond lines blend fluidly with the guitars, and together they build a thrilling, full wall of sound. The drums serve up some mighty snare-drum cracks, which stand out especially in the mid-tempo songs like Excess, Cryin’ Out Loud, Dirty Deal and the passionate Jump Start.
Of course, none of this would sound so convincing without the most important factor. Eruptive outbursts of the singer’s powerful, multicolored screams, welcome home! Joe’s singing is once again totally lived-in, through and through, from the skin to the bone. That one-of-a-kind voice sits right in the center of the action, and its recognizability brings an extraordinary contrast to the songs. Love Don’t Live Here opens and closes with a bluesy feint on the keyboards. It’s a ballad where the singer, with his refined sense for shifting the color of his voice, gets especially close to the listener. At times he’s tender and subtle, then suddenly he explodes at full force. The bluesy detours are felt in Blood Fire too. The atmosphere takes a higher run-up in Excess. It’s built on several different motifs that flow fluidly into one another. The singer’s full-throttle approach joins in again, along with a few short but impressive guitar solo bits, whose execution and placement add a breath of unpredictability to the song. Let’s Go and Drivin’ With My Eyes Closed are the faster moments of the record! All the songs are compact, self-contained units with heads and tails, yet the album as a whole effectively offers a heap of different moods and vibes.
Besides Excess, I have to point out two more atmospheric peaks of the record. The first is, once again, the more soulful Cryin’ Out Loud. The main punchy riff motif and the beat of the song call to mind close parallels with early Whitesnake and Deep Purple from the Mk. III lineup. Next comes Fantasize, with its atmospheric peak in a gorgeous, melancholic chorus. The song is built on a smoothly open rhythmic drive, topped with a guitar riff reminiscent of Alcatrazz. Back in the good old days when real rock ruled, this song would doubtless have been picked as the hit single. It captures a high atmosphere, and at the same time it’s a proper rocker that won’t let you stand still. It’s an incredibly invasive tune for the ears, because it crawls right under your skin. Hit The Switch offers an approximation of what his excellency R.J. Dio is creating these days (from the “Magica” era to now). That parallel is even stronger in Reprise. It’s a short closing track in which the main riff of Hit The Switch comes back, while being laced throughout with an impressive guitar solo. The main riff of Reprise is carried by a slower tempo, which makes it sound even more massive.
“JLT” confirms Turner’s extraordinary drive and creative momentum, wound up all the way. In September ’03 the guy put out a new HTP record with G. Hughes and contributed vocals to a few songs on Kotzen’s new Brazen Abbot album, and it truly looks like he just never runs out of creative energy. “JLT” is a record where feel absolutely dominates and overrules the algebraic methods of musical perception! Loyal devotees of 100% hard rock! Here’s wishing you a great spin effect with this record too!
Line-up
Joe Lynn Turner – vocals
Guest musicians:
Al Pitrelli – guitar
Chris Marksbury – guitar
Joe Bonamassa – guitar
Karl Cochran – guitar
Chris Caffery – guitar
Greg Smith – bass
Eric Czar – bass
John Boniovani – bass
Bob Held – bass
John O’Reilly – drums
Carmine Giglio – keyboards
Lloyd Landsman – keyboards
John Mangini – keyboards
Paul Morris – keyboards
Production
Bob Held & Joe Lynn Turner
Track list
01. In Cold Blood
02. Jump Start
03. Dirty Deal
04. Love Don’t Live Here
05. Excess
06. Let’s Go
07. Cryin’ Out Loud
08. Lie
09. Fantasize
10. Blood Fire
11. Drivin’ With My Eyes Closed
12. Hit The Switch
13. Reprise
