Artist: Quiet Riot
Label: Chavis Records
Release: 2006
Rating: 4/5
The last thing you’d expect from a new Quiet Riot album in 2006, after more than 25 years in the game, would be a change in musical direction and sound. But the band’s enviable history and metal pedigree speak for themselves, and unlike Quiet Riot’s peers, who got stuck in the predictability loop long ago, the “old-timers” have hit the jackpot this time with an album that carries the fitting title “REHAB”. In other words, Rehab can be called the first real release since vocalist Kevin Dubrow came back.
Fair and square, getting the chemistry in the band back in balance surely played a big part in its fresh sound. Carlos Cavazo and Rudy Sarzo are out of the game after “rehab” (get it, “Rehab”), and their spots are now filled by bassist Tony Franklin (ex-The Firm and Blue Murder) and studio guitarist Neil Citron. (Side note: maybe those two will find a place in the musician factory run by Mr. Coverdale and his Whitesnake.
The change was a considered and smart move for the band on several levels. Guitarist Citron brought a completely new playing style to the group. Where the band used to lean on Cavazo’s guitar parts and melodic focus, this time the emphasis is on harmony and more riff-driven playing, with Citron as a real steam locomotive. His style differs from Cavazo’s mainly in that he lets the other members take the spotlight while he keeps his own ego off to the side. A perfect example is the track “South Of Heaven”. The guitar solos sound very southern, among other things, which is the complete opposite of what we’re used to from Quiet Riot. Instead of the lead lines we’ve been used to until now, the structure of their current compositions is built mostly on the spirited drumming of Frankie Banali and Franklin’s accompanying bass lines. As a duo, “Banali-Franklin” could be described as explosive TNT, or, at best, a fitting comparison would be “Bonzo-Jones”. You can hear this structural approach across the whole album, but it stands out most on the track “Free”.
As for vocalist Kevin Dubrow, he’s in excellent vocal and physical shape on Rehab, and you can feel it in every single track. Considering his voice has always been quite distinctive and raspy, it’s a real wonder he hasn’t lost a shred of his edge over all these years, which is no rarity among singers of this breed who love to overdo the “screaming”. Since we’re on the subject of Kevin’s vocal range, the tracks “Black Reign” and “Strange Daze” deserve a mention. Wasting words is pointless when listening to these two, since each track speaks for itself, and in Kevin’s favor. In a nutshell, Kevin is and remains a great performer and vocalist.
So the band surprised us with an excellent sound, but the main trump card on “Rehab” this time isn’t the band’s sound, it’s the lyrics and the lyricism of the individual songs. Although you can still catch some “cowboy-campfire” songwriting here and there, most of the material has a much stronger character and weight than any Quiet Riot album released so far. A good example is the track “In Harm’s Way”, where the bluesy melody and raw daring signal revolutionary changes in both style and sound, looking at the band’s past and future. And that freshness isn’t felt only in the new material: the band managed to bring those changes into their regular tradition too, namely reworking “cover versions” of various well-known songs. This time the guys tackled “Evil Woman”, originally by Spooky Tooth in 1969, which Deep Purple took on long ago as well. Which of them did it better is hard to say, but the fact is that the starring role in this version went to none other than the voice of rock, Mr. Glenn Hughes, who besides vocals also laid down a great bass line. That track could be called the album’s dessert, since it sounds very grand and proud.
When it comes to the final verdict, let’s be real: Quiet Riot will never be on the level of Dream Theater. Expecting anything like that would be absurd, but the album Rehab still marks a big turnaround in their career. Maybe it’s the chemistry and fresh energy in the band, maybe the members consciously decided to radically change the recognizable style and sound that has defined them over the past almost three decades. Either way, the rehabilitation worked out perfectly, and what you have in front of you is an excellent “Rehab” album.
Lineup
Kevin DuBrow – vocals
Neil Citron – guitar
Tony Franklin – bass guitar
Frankie Banali – drums
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Glenn Hughes – backing vocals, bass guitar
Tracklist
1. Free
2. Blind Faith
3. South Of Heaven
4. Black Reign
5. Old Habits Die Hard
6. Strange Daze
7. In Harm’s Way
8. Beggars And Thieves
9. Don’t Think
10. It Sucks To Be You
11. Evil Woman
