Artist: Ballard, Russ
Label: EMI Records
Release: 1985
Rating: 4.2/5
Russ Ballard is an English multi-instrumentalist. Music fans probably know him best as the original singer of the progressive band Argent. When he and the band’s leader, Rod Argent, fell out over the group’s future direction, Ballard packed his bags and went solo. Ballard wanted Argent to play more straightforward, radio-friendly rock, while Rod Argent wanted to experiment a bit more. Since Argent was the boss of the band, Ballard left, though there was no bad blood.
So in 1974, Russ went solo. His first solo record, simply titled Russ Ballard, followed right away in 1975. A whole pile of top-notch releases came after that, but I feel like he really “found his breath” in the eighties. That’s where The Fire Still Burns belongs, and sadly it was Ballard’s last album before he came back again after a ten-year break.
The album is wall-to-wall potential hits, and there are countless melodies that stick in your ear right away. This is perfect music for the car, because it fills you with energy. Still, Ballard isn’t your typical AOR musician. He knows how to bring a great atmosphere into a song too, along with some excellent, more instrumental stretches. Sure, it’s a fairly obvious British take on AOR, but Ballard doesn’t borrow too heavily from other bands of that ilk, the way plenty of artists did back then. The man has a style of his own, which can get pretty rockin’ at times and downright dreamy at others (the keyboards are mostly to thank for that). With many AOR artists you end up with way too many love ballads, but Ballard skillfully dodges that trap here. He can be romantic, but within the bounds of good taste, and he’s never too syrupy.
Ballard is really a “one-man band”. He plays all the keyboard and guitar parts, and occasionally adds bass and programmed drums too. You usually don’t expect some kind of crazy technical skill from people like this, and Ballard really does seem restrained in everything he does, but beneath the surface you can tell there’s at least an excellent guitarist hiding there, and he doesn’t lag far behind on keyboards either. His voice is very pleasant too, with that proper AOR “charmer” feel. On the album he’s once again joined by the popular session musician, bassist Mo Foster, who has worked with Jon Anderson (Yes), Phil Collins (Brand X) and others. The additional musicians contribute only drum parts, but they get the job done with seasoned AOR polish.
Back then, Russ Ballard was really doing nothing but outstanding stuff. It feels like he just couldn’t screw up. The Fire Still Burns is a typical example of British AOR perfection, too. Every song has such lovely vocal melodies, guitar parts and slightly hidden keyboards that are nevertheless brilliantly woven into the music. The Fire Still Burns shows that the fire of musicality and real feeling was still burning in Ballard back then. Melodic rock fans, you can’t afford to miss this one. In fact, he kept putting out one gem after another all through the eighties, so it’s hard to say which album is better. But you could, for example, start right with The Fire Still Burns.
Line-up
Russ Ballard – vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass, electric drums
Stuart Elliott – drums
Mike Richardson – drums
Peter Van Hooke – electronic drums
Mo Foster – bass
Production
Russ Ballard
Track list
1. Once A Rebel
2. The Omen
3. Hey Bernadette
4. Searching
5. Time
6. Your Time Is Gonna Come
7. Dream On
8. The Fire Still Burns
