Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Winger
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2009
Length: 45:02
Rating: 4.5/5
With “Karma”, Winger serve up a much less gloomy album than its predecessor “IV” (2006). You hear a lot more of that classic hard rock framework, the one that shot Winger to the front of the “hair rock” scene back in the very different times around the turn from the eighties to the nineties. On top of that they’ve added fresh ideas in the sound production. Here it’s almost impossible to miss the mature parallels in the song arrangements, which bandleader Kip Winger expressed far more directly on his solo records, the most obvious reference being his latest, “From The Sun To The Moon” (2009), which in all its uniqueness can only be labeled “art rock”.
Combine the two approaches somehow and you get an album that’s the logical successor to “IV.” from 2006. The overall feeling is that it goes down a lot easier than its predecessor. “Karma” also comes wrapped in a dark atmosphere, but it tops the predecessor mainly through much better flow – the fluidity of the individual songs and of the album as a whole. It seems that with “Karma”, Winger have finally found what they were looking for with “IV.” That’s not a knock on “IV”, which was a thrilling return for the band three years ago, just a way of saying that the new Winger have delivered a more mature follow-up, matured in terms of the expression itself, which comes across far more convincingly under the baton of the modern production sensibilities that “IV” already offered. Direct proof of that are, for instance, Big World Away and Come A Little Closer, which carry the same energy as “IV” in the verses, but then swap the stuffy atmosphere in the choruses for two excellent, anthemic, pompous hooks, exactly the kind Winger’s music desperately needs. There were far fewer of these moments on “IV”, and that’s why that album went down a bit harder.
Kip Winger is a guy who, on his solo albums, floored people with a refined, delicate touch for convincingly bringing individual emotions to life, turning the paper phrases of the lyrics into tangible, living matter. And “Karma” expresses exactly that more intensely than any of the band’s five studio efforts so far.
The songs are carefully “dressed” in a rich three-dimensional sonic backdrop, outfitted from head to toe in the best possible way. Where a real storm of drama is needed, tasteful keyboards step in behind the scenes, and at those points they’re not just an important building block of the mood, they can also hold up, say, Reb Beach’s solo tornado so his virtuoso touches really get their damn wings. Take the closing section of Witness, which in terms of songwriting alone is one of the album’s peaks. It’s an extremely dynamic swell between the atmospheres of the individual motifs, culminating in an anthemic chorus where Winger don’t forget to back Kip’s vocals with convincing multi-part vocal harmonies. Even James Christian and his House Of Lords wouldn’t be ashamed of those.
Deal With The Devil is exactly what I mentioned at the very start of this review. A direct flirtation with the cocky, youthful days gone by, when “hair – shock rock” was terrorizing the planet. The album opens with it arrogantly, all hard rock. It delivers everything in an instant. Kip and company’s innate knack for throwing a killer kick straight into the listener’s forehead is hugely on display, in the most daft way. Stone Cold Killer is a flirty continuation of the opener, with a bit more emphasis on the rhythmic backbone, dictated above all by the prominent “leg” of Kip Winger’s bass. Pull Me Under, for instance, is a track that once again rides the songwriting rails of the eighties, with richly arranged backing harmonies for yet another excellent chorus, but with a modern production that stamps it with the new-era Winger identity and freshness. Always Within Me repeats that approach, feels even more classically executed, with the key difference that its excellent chorus doesn’t need any extra vocal harmonies at all to create a similar atmosphere. Feeding Frenzy keeps the record in a similar spot too, but with less exciting content.
Supernova is where Kip most directly poured in the energy and mood of his latest studio effort, “From The Sun To The Moon” (2009). Another oddity on the album is the blues-rock-tinged ballad moment caught in After All This Time. Here Winger sway into an erotic waltz, and Kip does his job superbly on vocals, bringing the message of the lyrics to life with great feeling. The song is so strong that it isn’t far off from the power that even the legendary Dave Meniketti, guitarist of classic hard rock band Y&T, can muster on a solo album. Kip Winger’s singing isn’t the only fuel driving the song, though. An important element is the soloing from both guitarists, who carefully follow the feel. Reb Beach especially deserves a mention, since as Winger’s guitarist he’s a completely different story from Whitesnake’s guitarist. If in the latter Coverdale was constantly nudging him to play hard, to force it, to bet everything on speed, in Winger Beach comes across as a man who successfully develops and stays true to feel. Feel is what he follows throughout, putting it ahead of forced playing in shaping his solos. And only that is the true measure of this guitarist’s worth.
Let me say it once more to wrap up. What didn’t fully work right at the comeback with “IV” works now on “Karma”. With it, Winger are right in their element, perfectly combining and balancing retro nostalgia with the sonic collages of modern production. Kip Winger’s vocals add that necessary dynamite of deep sensuality to the album, while the modern production, set against the classically conceived framework of the songs, puts Winger’s energy in the present, in a special place in rock music. On top of that, the band has managed to lay out the songs in melodic arrangements that are even more defined and have even clearer outlines than on “IV”, so “Karma” is that much more pleasing to the ear and an easier album to get into. One more thing I want to point out. This modern sonic makeover, which concretely moves the new Winger away from the late-eighties days, gives us an album that, thanks to its rich moods, grows on the listener much more slowly than, say, the new House Of Lords or Danger Danger albums, which you “devour” on the first spin. It’s recognizable and hard to compare to any other band. And that was the band’s basic goal all along. With “Karma”, then, Winger, in a new look for new times, have lived up to their name in every way!
Lineup
Kip Winger – vocals, bass
Reb Beach – guitar
John Roth – guitar
Rod Morgenstein – drums
Production
Kip Winger
Track list
1. Deal With The Devil
2. Stone Cold Killer
3. Big World Away
4. Come A Little Closer
5. Pull Me Under
6. Supernova
7. Always Within Me
8. Feeding Frenzy
9. After All This Time
10. Witness
11. First Ending (bonus track)
