Search - April Wine :: Animal Grace

Dated, but still excellent

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 05/16/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to believe, but 1984's Animal Grace is the eleventh studio album from Canadian rockers April Wine. It's also one of my favorite April Wine albums.



Animal Grace has an unmistakable 80's sound and production quality, but that may be why I like it so much. It's got great melodies, catchy hooks, and plenty of synth action (I know that's frowned on these days, but I love it). The songs range from the emotional ("This Could Be the Right One", "Without Your Love") to upbeat party rockers ("Money Talks") to the just plain odd (but still rockin') "Sons of the Pioneers". April Wine's take on the Sharp Edges song "Hard Rock Kid" is another of Animal Grace's highlights. It's just an all around great 80's rock album from a band that really shone during that decade.



Animal Grace does sound a bit dated now, but it's still well worth checking out if you're a fan of the mid 80's melodic rock sound. If you're a fan of Triumph, Axe, Rail, Styx, and Foreigner, you'll definitely want to hear this album."

I enjoy this recording.

NFL Fanatic | United States | 03/09/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First things first - this release is different from NATURE OF THE BEAST and HARDER...FASTER. It for some reason was a bit neglected by April Wine fans, but I happen to like this album a LOT - maybe my tastes are just a little different from the other fans of the Canadian rockers.



Myles Goodwyn is an exceptional guitarist and singer. He is the guy responsible for most of the song writing and other creative forces within the group - kind of like Rainbow with Ritchie Blackmore at the controls - ditto for David Coverdale being the lone staple in Whitesnake.



This CD begins with "This Could Be The Right One" - a nice rocker you can drive your car too. Cool chorus on this one. "Sons Of The Pioneers" follows - another cool melodic rocker that had an accompanying video. The other melodic rockers are "Without Your Love" and "Too Hot To Handle".



"Hard Rock Kid" is up there with the first track as my favorites on the CD. It's not a fast song, but it's very reminiscent of the chorus on Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero". It's one of the more memorable songs here that sounds like it'd be a great one live.



There's no power ballads on this release, but April Wine has recorded some wonderful ones over the years (remember "Just Between You And Me" from NATURE OF THE BEAST?). "Last Time I'll Ever Sing The Blues" is a slow song, but not a love song. ANIMAL GRACE is your basic rock album.



Since amazon.com does not have much of a description of this CD on here, here's a rundown of the songs:



1 This Could Be the Right One

2 Sons of the Pioneers

3 Without Your Love

4 Rock Tonite

5 Hard Rock Kid

6 Money Talks

7 Gimme That Thing Called Love

8 Too Hot to Handle

9 Last Time I'll Ever Sing the Blues



It is out-of-print and hard to find in the USA so grab it if you see it cheap."