Search - Foreigner :: Mr Moonlight

Lackluster reunion album

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 07/30/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Much like Journey's short-lived 1996 reunion with vocalist Steve Perry, Lou Gramm's return to Foreigner failed to live up to expectations. You'd think that a reunited Foreigner would also be a reenergized Foreigner, but there's no sign of that on the band's 1995 effort Mr. Moonlight.



Maybe the guys' hearts just weren't in it, or maybe the grunge-obsessed musical climate at the time was just too hostile to Foreigner's brand of AOR. Whatever the reason, Mr. Moonlight comes across as an uninspired and perfectly forgettable ghost of past Foreigner albums. I can't pin this failure on any individual performance. Lou's vocals are solid and musically everything seems to be working. I guess the songwriting is to blame. There are a couple of bright moments (White Lie and Hand on My Heart) as well as a real head-scratcher (Big Dog), but for the most part this is an album of run of the mill lite rock songs that lack the dynamic quality that made past Foreigner albums, including (hell, especially) the Gramm-less Unusual Heat, so impressive.



It's a shame that this is all we have to close out Foreigner's legacy, but the band opted not to issue another studio album, with or without Lou Gramm. That's even more unfortunate when you consider the fact that their current touring vocalist - Hurricane's Kelly Hansen - is more than talented enough to contribute to a successful Foreigner studio album."