Artist: Extreme
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2008
Length: 67:00
Extreme’s comeback is one of the last, if not the very last, “reunions” of the rock “cyclopses” from 15-plus years ago as this year winds down. Cherone and company are hungry for new victories and kicking like they're in their prime. Saudades de Rock accordingly doesn’t hide its big ambitions, probably fired up by a 10-year Extreme drought that left a huge void after the peak of the extravagant ’90s. That’s probably exactly why the album carries such a high dose of energy, which the gentlemen, with their colorful genre juggling and unique arrangement wizardry, can barely keep under control at times. And that’s far from the album’s only ace! Extreme surprised above all with an exceptionally polished and breezy production, which, at a time when most of us “oldtimers” are getting buzzed by predictably dark and otherwise mainstream-ish productions, dropped from the sky like a much-needed bandage on the wounds of a year winding down. In that respect Saudades de Rock really has it all. It’s fucking sharp when it needs to be, at times even rough-edged grunge, and it also brings along a bunch of refined moments that will hardly repeat the success of More Than Words, but still serve up a heaping dose of infectious subtlety.
Saudades de Rock catches the right spin already with the opener Star, and with the exception of three “more cultured” moments it keeps the tempo high all the way to the end of the album. Star is a fine example of a great opener. An explosive riff, harnessed in good old Extreme tradition to the active gears of the rhythm machine, soon tosses fans of six-string acrobatics a bone in the form of the first of Bettencourt’s many brilliant solos. Extreme pull the next ace from their sleeve with Comfortably Dumb, which with a smidge more character smells surprisingly Seattle, and wins you over above all by authentically complementing Cherone’s totally spontaneous lines with the usual confidently delivered ideas of Nuna Bettencodta, instantly mobilizing the listener for the duo’s melodic interplay still to come. In the latter category belongs, for sure, the unique funk rock hybrid Learn To Love, which, paired with the shrewd country spirit of Take Us Alive, is surely one of the album’s most convincing moments.
That Extreme are on a roll in 2008 and that the gentlemen are shamelessly eyeing a new creative zenith is proven by Saudades de Rock with a colorful collage of moods, which it swaps with downright chameleon-like ease. In one breath I can mention the lovably choleric King Of The Ladies as well as the rather teenage punk rock stampede Flower Man, not to mention the lively funky minestrones Run and Slide, which even the reincarnated deity of Glenn Hughes wouldn’t be ashamed of, so I won’t even waste words on them. Just as impressive is the realization that Extreme (still) dominate when it comes to forging ballad motifs. All of this seems almost self-evident, of course, if we put Gary Cherone’s fantastic vocal characteristics under the microscope. Interface or Ghost could motivate the latter to even a more serious climb toward the top of the charts, which in today’s “showbiz” world of instant makeovers probably remains just wishful thinking. But oh well. Saudades de Rock does us one last favor with Peace, which with a touch of sarcasm can be read as a softly spoken reply to Rest In Peace. It’s a unique album finale, perfectly dictated, as from its opening serenity, on the wings of subtly measured vocals, it keeps pushing toward an emotional peak. There’s nothing more to add here. Cherone, to the general delight of fans of quality music, has proven that he can still easily sweep the cobwebs out of any vocal corridor, however demanding, whether it dwells in swampy or urban surroundings. A similar warmth wraps around the assessment of Nuno Bettencourt’s work, whose bold songwriting steering gave Extreme the wings on which we got a credible candidate for rock album of the year!
Line-up
Gary Cherone: vocals
Nuno Bettencourt: guitar
Pat Badger: bass
Kevin Figueiredo: drums
Production
Nuno Bettencourt
Track list
1.Star
2.Comfortably Dumb
3.Learn To Love
4.Take Us Alive
5.Run
6.Last Hour
7.Flower Man
8.King Of The Ladies
9.Ghost
10.Slide
11.Interface
12.Sunrise
13.Peace
